The agenda before Reps in 2018

Jacob Segun Olatunji and Kolawole Daniel highlight some of the issues before the House of Representatives in 2018.

The election year is just around the corner, because come 2019 general election for elective positions would be held across the country, except some few states that where governorship election will not take place because the tenure of such state governors will still be running. However, for the House of Representatives this year 2018 is a year of political activities before the actual year 2019 for general elections.

The House is currently working on electoral amendment to strengthen the electoral process in the country, being the means of electing leaders across board in the country. To fine tune this, various amendment to the electoral process would soon be concluded in this year 2018.

 

Electoral amendments

Even, the Chairman, House Committee on Electoral Matters, Honourable Aisha Dukku hinted that the House is currently working on about 12 bills specifically aimed at strengthening the electoral system. The bills she assured would be passed into law, and hopefully, assented to by the President before the next general elections.

Some of the bills, she said, recommend increase in the maximum election expenses to be incurred by candidates; that a court or tribunal should declare the person with the second highest votes winner of an election if it finds that the winner was not qualified to contest; and to outline a procedure for the use of the smart card reader in elections.

Honourable Dukku said some of the Bills are also for the establishment of the Nigerian Electoral Offences Commission, and for the establishment of the Electoral Offences Tribunal to be situated in Abuja, with equal status as the High Court and with exclusive jurisdiction to try electoral offences.

She also said that a Bill for an Act to provide for time frame for the submission of the list of candidates, disclosure of source of funds contributed for political parties and to empower INEC to uphold party primaries where there is a change in the result and related matters.

According to her, “There is also a Bill for an Act to further amend the Section 33 of the principal Act by inserting a provision to enable a party choose the running mate of a nominated candidate who dies before the conclusion of a gubernatorial election to replace the deceased governorship candidate.

“As both the 1999 Constitution and the 2010 Electoral Act (as amended) regulate the conduct of elections in Nigeria, it is anticipated that the commitee’s report on the aforesaid amendment Bills, which is an infusion of its input and recommendations from various stakeholders, will further strengthen and deliver on such expectations.”

 

Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB

The Petroleum Industry Bill is one bill that has refused to die or better still see the light of the day in the National Assembly, efforts to have the bill passed has always been thwarted by high powered politics.

But in this current eighth Assembly the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is one controversial bill that has been around in the National Assembly since 2008 and has such attracted attention from the industry players, oil producing states and as well as International Oil Companies, IOCs.

Though the previous PIB is just one bulk document, but this time around the PIB has been segmented into three aspects which comprised of the governance, fiscal framework and the host community.

In the House the segmented proposed law to govern the oil and gas industry are: “A Bill for an Act to Provide for the Establishment of the Legal and Regulatory Framework, Institutions and Regulatory Authorities as well as guidelines for the Operation of the Upstream and Downstream Sectors of the Nigerian Petroleum Industry.”

“A Bill for an Act to Establish a Fiscal Framework that Encourages further Investment in the Petroleum Industry whilst increasing accruable Revenues to the Federal Government.

“A Bill for an Act to Provide for a Framework Relating to Petroleum Producing Host Community’s Participants cost and benefits Sharing amongst the Government, Petroleum Exploration Companies and Petroleum Host Communities and for Related Matters.”

However, the PIGB which the Senate passed for second reading on the floor of the House by the Acting House Leader, Honourable Mohammed Monguno who said that, the bill was set to establish a fiscal framework that encourages further investment in the petroleum industry whilst increasing accruable revenue to the Federal Government.

Last year before the passage of the bill, there was argument from the Minority Leader, Honourable Leo Ogor and Daniel Reyenieju on the need to consolidate all the bills on Petroleum industry, but the Speaker, Honourable Yakubu Dogara said that the House would  run into trouble because the Senate had passed Petroleum Industry Governance Bill, saying that, “we have agreed with the Senate that we will pass the PIGB”.

To carry out further legislative work on the critical bill, 15-man ad hoc committee chaired by the Chief Whip, Honourable Alhassan Ado Doguwa was set up by the Speaker, Honourable Yakubu Dogara to carryout hearing on the proposed law for the oil and gas industry.

The PIB, which is an executive bill, was first introduced in 2008. During the 7th Assembly, additional efforts were made to pass the 2012 version of the bill, but it was unsuccessful. The present effort has seen the PIB splits into three bills.

 

2018 budget

This year’s budget is put at N8.6 trillion and had already passed second reading in the House. 2018 budget is another crucial bill before the National Assembly. From the House, the most important piece of legislation has been passed for second reading with various House committees expected to engage the Ministries, Department and Agencies of government. The committees would engage the MDAs on their 2017 spending and defend the alloted figures in the  2018  budget.

 

Unlimited Probe

Also, the House will handle several probes arising from government infraction as usual. Though most of the probes are geared toward exposing corruption in the system and possibly show the wayout.