How MDAs often hold Reps to ransom

KEHINDE AKINTOLA writes on the high and low points of the House of Represenatives in the out-gone legislative year and the issues the Lower House must address in 2021 in order to remain focused.

THE 2020 legislative year under the leadership of Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila has been a mixed grill. There were challenges occasioned by the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. There were also occasional frictions with some observers expressing concern over the manner the situations were often managed by some of his lieutenants. Although many did not get to know about the two-time moves by some aggrieved members of the House, who pushed for the impeachment of the Lagos State-born speaker handled issues concwerning their welfare and well-being, as well as alleged breach of parliamentary practices and convention in the appointment/allocation of the two key positions of chairmen and deputy chairmen of various Standing Committees in the ninth Assembly.

While some believed the exercise  was solely carried out by the speaker through the Selection Committee, others claimed that legislative experience and ranking oughto have taken precedence to ensure effectiveness, efficiency and productivity. These factors, according to some analysts, did not hold sway as first timers got key committees, while most ranking members were benched.

Also of concern was the issue of disharmony within the rank and files of the House, as most of the lawmakers in the opposition parties were not included on the social media platform(s) opened during the campaign for two elective positions. There were insinuations that the platforms only accommodated purported allies/supporters of the speaker and his deputy, Honourable Ahmed Idris Wase till the end of 2020 Legislative year.

Some of the lawmakers who served in the eighth Assembly during a period when the incumbent speaker was the Minority Leader, frowned at his non-consideration to compensate them for for succumbing to pressure from the political godfather to forgo or drop the position of chairmanship following his non-emergence as the Speaker. To their utmost dismay, the best offer they could get is membership of committees.

Some observers are also worried over the leadership crisis rocking the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following the adoption of Honourable. Ndudi Elumelu as the Minority Leader against the choice of the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) choice of Honourable. Kingsley Chinda. Some are of the opinion that Elumelu’s Minority Group has not acted satisfactorily in checkmating the ‘excesses’ of the ruling All Progressices Congress (APC) by coming up with alternative solutions to the myriads of socio-economic and political problems facing the country. However, they saluted the courage mulled by the Chinda-led PDP Caucus in setting a proactive agenda for the APC-led administration.

There are more than 100 standing committees set up by the House leadership. One of them was led by Honourable Oluwole Busayo Oke. He is the chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, which examined and caused investigation into the management of the Federation Account, Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) and utilisation of public funds by various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). The committee under the chairmanship of Honourable Ossai Nicholas Ossai also held sway. It is the House Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements, which exposed the toxic clauses in the bilateral, commercial and other forms of agreements signed by Nigerian officials with Development Partners and other countries, especially the Chinese loans. It is also worthy to note the significant roles played by the House Committee on Finance led by Honourable Abiodun James Faleke, in the passage of the Finance Act and amendment of select Acts of Parliament of some revenue generating agencies with the view to blocking leakages and improving revenue generation. The Committee on Army chaired by Honourable Abdulrasak Namdas also played a notable role in boosting the fight against insurgency and other criminal activities bedevilling the country. Also commendable was the intervention of the Honourable Benjamin Kalu-led House Committee on Media and Public Affairs in the disemmination of information, even at odd times of the day. Honourable. Kalu has gone through a series of baptism of fire in the bid to respond to public inquiries. However, some standing committees of the House seemed to be off-grid throughout the out-gone year.

From the inception of the ninth Assembly, experts in legislative matters were concerned about the unprecedented bulkanisation of standing sommittees, without putting into consideration the issue of overlapping functions and budgetting. To a great extent, there have been internal rivalries among chairmen and members of these committee, as well as MDAs,  which were requested to present same report on the same subject-matter with implications for cost. Besides, some analysts believe that the legislature, which serves as the ‘first’ arm of government is yet to assert its authority and rightful position as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution (as amended) not only in lawmaking but in ensuring that Nigerians get the dividends of democracy. Reports from various quarters exposed the weakness in the discharge of the oversight functions of the standing committees on the MDAs due to usual dependence to enable them carry out their activities. For instance, despite the House leadership’s stance to desist from depending on the MDAs for transportation and other logistics, the practice still persists thereby attracting public condemnation.

Another area that requires a paradigm shift remains the consideration and passage of key investigations being conducted by Standing and Ad-hoc Committees, which over the past Assemblies, either ended up at the committee level/archieves or laid but not considered nor transmitted to the executive for implementation.

Against the usual practice, the ninth Assembly successfully broke a 48 year-old jinx, with the formal presentation of the budget proposal of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) before the pParliament, about two months after the President laid before the joint session of the National Assembly. However same vigour should be deployed to compel heads of other erring agencies such as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and others to comply with extant financial rules and relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which forbid any MDAs from carrying out any expenditure without the approval of the National Assembly.

Going by the public assessment of the ninth Assembly, the House scored its highest with the passage of the resolution inviting President Muhammadu Buhari to address the House on the State of security in the country, in tandem with the provisions of Section 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). But this was short-lived, as the 360 lawmakers failed to exert their constitutional powers to ensure accountability and defend the people in the face of  insecurity across the country. Thousands of innocent citizens have lost their lives, property and means livelihood to all forms of security challenges.

While not foreclosing the potency of the powers donated to the parliament to either summon or invite anybody to render account of his stewardship to the legislature on any matter whatsoever, the opinion in many circles is that the onus lies on the current crop of federal lawmakers to stand for Nigeria and for their constituents by lending their voices to defend the constitution and their oath of office, no matter whose ox is goared. While admitting that the office of the President and Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces should be respected, observers say the democratic ethos and concerns for the  lives and property of Nigerians should be of paramount importance.

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