Economy, Constitution Review, Electoral Reforms Top Legislative Agenda as N’Assembly Resumes Plenary Today

Sunday Aborisade writes on the task ahead of the red chamber of the National Assembly as the Senate resumes plenary today after a five-week long Easter and Eid-el-Fitr vacation.

Members of the Senate are expected to resume plenary today after over a month recess to celebrate the Easter and Eid-el-Fitr festivities with their families and constituents.

President of the Senate, Senator  Godswill Akpabio, had on Wednesday, March 21, 2024, adjourned plenary till April 16, to allow lawmakers observe the Easter and Eid-El-Fitr holidays.

The Senate and the House of Representatives last week, further postponed the resumption of plenary sessions originally slated for Tuesday, April 16, to Tuesday, April 30, 2024.

This adjustment, was said to be necessary to accommodate the completion of on-going renovations on the main chambers of both the Senate and the House of Representatives to ensure their readiness for plenary sessions.

The development was conveyed to the Senators by the Clerk to the Senate, Chinedu Akubueze, in an internal correspondence penultimate Saturday.

The message sent to senators read, “Distinguished Senators are hereby invited to note that the resumption of the plenary sitting of the Senate, which was scheduled for Tuesday, April 17, 2024 has been postponed to Tuesday, April 30, 2024.

“This postponement is owing to unforeseen circumstances, and any inconvenience this may cause is highly regretted.”

On resumption today, the Senate is expected to address the issue of the economy, security and governance.

The chamber is also expected to receive official communications from President Bola Tinubu urging the senators to screen for confirmation, all the persons nominated for various appointments during the recess.

Speaking with THISDAY on the activities before the Senate as members resume plenary today, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Adeyemi Adaramodu, explained that the issues of constitution review and electoral reforms would also take the front burner.

Adaramodu said, “We are set for resumption. We are going to continue to replenish our legislative agenda for the year. We have some bills and motions that are pending which we would attend to. The power committee has already started it’s work on the issues of improved electricity supply and the tariff. We are expecting their report so that we could deliberate on them. The Senate will take an action that will favour Nigerians regarding the over 300 per cent increase in electricity tariff for certain customers under the Band A classification when we resume plenary.”

It will be recalled that the Federal Government had through the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) about a month ago, approved an increase of 340 per cent in electricity tariff for customers under the Band A classification.

According to the NERC’s Vice-Chairman, Musliu Oseni, Band A customers will begin to pay N225 kilowatt per hour from the earlier price of N66. Band A customers are those who enjoy 20 hours of electricity supply daily.

It was also revealed that customers under this classification  represents 15 per cent of the 12 million electricity customers in Nigeria.

NERC vice-chairman however clarified that the review would not affect customers on the other bands.

Senate spokesperson, however, said relevant committees of the Senate had started working on the situation and would submit their reports on resumption to enable the Senate take a position that would be favourable to Nigerians.

Adaramodu said: “The relevant Senate Committees on Power had met and taken decisions on the situation and we would deliberate on it, when we resume.

“We are also going to really address the security issues. We are glad that we are getting some mileage already. We are going to deliberate on the economic issues also. Our committees on Finance, Banking and Finance have been meeting with relevant stakeholders on the issue and they will brief us appropriately.

“The issue of constitution review will be taken seriously immediately we resume. We will also consider the electoral reform seriously also. Already, committees have been constituted for the very germane constitutional issues in the Senate before we went on break.

“We will make sure that we allow this process to take its normal course because we will hold meetings with critical stakeholders in the spectrum of Nigeria. We will embark on public hearing by visiting states across Nigeria and we will invite the public to have a say in whatever we want to put in either the electoral reform or the constitutional reform.

“During the break, the relevant committees on the issue of petroleum were in the Port Harcourt refinery and they found out that the refineries were about 90 per cent completed.

They were also told that they would start producing PMS within the next two months.

“However, the issue of temporary petrol scarcity in Abuja is seriously being experienced but not so bad in other states.

We heard from the NNPCL management that it was due to logistic problems basically associated with distribution. It does not mean that it was scarce. The problem has to do with transporting it from the depot to the filling stations within Abuja and its environs.

“We will look at it when we resume but I don’t think it will be a serious problem since the NNPCL has already explained their challenges and how they are already addressing it. If it however persist, we shall look into it and make sure that we solve it,” Adaramodu assured Nigerians.

All eyes are therefore on the two chambers of the National Assembly, being the voice of Nigerians to take legislative actions that would further reduce the pains, agonies and the frustrations currently being experienced by the citizenry.

The hardship was due to high cost of living occasioned by the petroleum subsidy removal and floating of the nation’s currency, the naira, among other policies.