Summary of Activities of the House of Representatives (November 7 – November 11, 2016)

 


The following are the summary of activities that happened on the floor of the House of Representatives (November 7 – November 11, 2016)

I.    Message From The President
a)    Nil
II.    Petition for the week
a.    Nil

III.    Some Motions considered for the week

1.    Call to Immortalise Lt Colonel Muhammed Abu Ali and Six Other who died in the Line of Duty on Friday, 4 November, 2016 when Boko Haram Terrorist Attacked their Location in Mallam Fatori, Borno State:


TheHouse Resolved to:
i.)    Observe one minute silence in honour of the fallen heroes
ii.)    Urge the Federal Government to grant Lt Colonel Mohammed Abu Ali and Six  Other a posthumous promotion to the next rank :
iii.)    Call the president and Commander-in-Chief of the armed Forces, to award Lt Colonel Mohammed Abu Ali and the other six slain Armed forces Personal, National Honours in recognition of their uncommon bravery and patriotism in protecting the country territorial integrity, for which they have paid the ultimate price:
iv.)    Urge the federal Government to offer the spouse of Lt Colonel Muhammed Abu Ali automatic employment and his children educational scholarship to the highest level:
v.)    Also urge the federal  Government to immortalize Lt Colonel Abu Ali by naming a befitting national monument or institution in his honour
vi.)    Further urge the federal Government to accelerate the Disbursement of all Benefit accruable to the families of the fallen heroes and mandate the Committee on Defence to ensure compliance with this resolution;
vii.)    Mandate the Committees on Defence, and Army, to visit the Families of the slain Heroes to convey the condolences of the House
viii.)    Also mandate the committees on Defence, Army, Navy, and Air Force, to ensure that Armed forces personal do not overstay at the war front, to avoid fatigue 
 
2.    Urgent Need for the Implementation of an Accelerated National Broadband Policy (Hon. Dr. Chukwuemeka Ujam)
The House resolved to:
(i)    Urge the Executive Arm of Government to ensure speedy and effective implementation of the National Broadband Policy for 2013-2018 by the National Broadband Council towards wider spectrum access/penetration to help bridge the digital divide, particularly between the rural and urban areas, and by extension, bridge the chasm between the rich and the poor;

(ii)    Mandate the Committee on Telecommunications to ensure Implementation and report back to the House within four (4) weeks for further legislative action.

3.    Need to Release Pregnant/Nursing Mothers Awaiting Trial from the Prisons (Hon. Sodaguwo A. Festus-Omoni)
The House resolved to:
Mandate the Committees on Interior, Human Rights and Justice to undertake a study of the phenomenon of children born in prisons to female awaiting trial inmates who are made to live in the prisons with their mothers and determine ways to cause the release of the mothers in the interest of the children, and report back to the House in eight (8) weeks, for further legislative action.

4.    Need to Arrest the Devastating Effects of Quella Birds on Farmlands in Bade/Jakusko Federal Constituency of Yobe State (Hon. Zakariya'u Galadima)
The House resolved to:
(i)    Urge the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to urgently send its team to apply necessary pesticides to arrest the devastating effects of Quella birds in the affected areas;
(ii)    Mandate the Committee on Agricultural Production and Services to ensure compliance.
 

5.    Need to Suspend the Arbitrary Imposition and Collection of Tolls/Levies at Airports Across the Country (Hon. O.K. Chinda)
The House resolved to:
(i)    Mandate the Committees on Aviation, Anti-Corruption and Finance to investigate the matter and report back to the House within four (4) weeks for further legislative action;

(ii)    Urge the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to immediately suspend the collection of tolls at entry points of all Airports in Nigeria, pending the report of the Committees.

6.    Urgent Need to Investigate the Subversion of Due Process by the NNPC in the Award of Contracts for Oil Pipelines Protection and Maintenance (Hon. Chime Oji)
 The House resolved to:
Mandate the Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) to investigate the award of contracts for the protection and maintenance of Oil Pipelines by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and report back to the House within four (4) weeks for further legislative action.

7.    Need for Caution on the “Robbing Peter to Pay Paul” Called Scheme “MMM Nigeria" (Hon. Saheed Akinade-Fijabi)
The House resolved to:
Mandate the Committees on Banking and Currency and Financial Crimes to investigate the activities of the MMM Nigeria Scheme with a view to saving Nigerians participating in the scheme from financial ruin, and report back to the House within four (4) weeks for further legislative action.
 

8.    Urgent Need to Investigate the Mismanagement, Executive Lawlessness and Financial Misappropriation in the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) (Omosede G. Igbinedion)
The House resolved to:
Mandate the Committee on Lake Chad to organize an investigative hearing on Lake Chad Basin Commission with a view to addressing the challenges of mismanagement, executive lawlessness and financial misappropriation to save the institution from imminent collapse and report back to the House in two (2) weeks for further legislative action.

9.    Need to Democratize the Budget Process (Hon. Olawale Raji)
The House resolved to:
(i)    Mandate the Committee on Constituency Outreach to provide the framework, supervise the conduct and collate the reports of People's Public Sessions on the 2017 Budget which shall be held simultaneously in the 360 federal constituencies and report back to the house within 3 weeks;
(ii)    Transmit the Comprehensive Report of the People's Public Sessions so produced to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for accommodation in the draft 2017 budget to be laid before the National Assembly.

10.    Need for Presence of the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) at the Nation’s Ports of Entry (Hon. Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi)
The House resolved to:
(i)    Urge the Federal Government to reassign the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) to the borders, ports and other entry points where it primarily belongs in order to reduce the entry of substandard goods/products;
 
(ii)    Mandate the Committee on Industry to ensure implementation, and report back to the House within four (4) weeks for further legislative action.

11.    Call for Completion of all Ongoing Projects across the Federation (Hon. Bashir Baballe)
The House resolved to:
(i)    Urge the Executive Arm of Government to ensure that before any project is executed, the cost benefits analysis are conducted;
(ii)    Mandate the Committee on Governmental Affairs to determine the number of ongoing projects in the country and make recommendations to the House within eight (8) weeks on how they would be completed.

12.    Calling Attention to the Deploration Condition of Old Ojo Road, Lagos (Hon. Oghene Emma Egoh)
The House resolved to:
(i)    Urge the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to carry out remedial repair works on the Road, pending when the Federal Ministry of Power, Works, and Housing would effect a reconstruction of the Road;

(ii)    Mandate the Committees on Works and Appropriations to ensure the inclusion of money in the 2017 budget proposal for the reconstruction of the Road.   

13.    Need to Provide Electricity in Magamim-Didi, Faru and Kaya Districts In Bakura/Maradun Federal Constituency (Hon. Yahaya Choda Gora)
The House resolved to:

(i)    Urge the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing and the Rural Electrification Agency to urgently provide electricity to the districts;

(ii)    Mandate the Committees on Power and Rural Development to ensure implementation and report back to the House in three (3) weeks, for further legislative action.

14.    Call for Development of Six Geo-Economic Zones (Hon. Chukwuemeka Anohu)
The House resolved to:
(i)    Call on the Federal Government to urgently explore the possibility of empowering the Six Geo-Political zones with the strategic domiciling of different industries peculiar to the various zones for economic growth and sustainable development of the country;

(ii)    Mandate the Committee on Governmental Affairs to ensure implementation and report back to the House within eight (8) weeks for further legislative action. 

15.    The Need to Re-Invent Ethics and Values Driven Society (Hon. Blessing Nsiegbe)
The House resolved to:
(i)    Urge the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to re-invent ways and strategies for re-orientating the citizens to appreciate the benefits of ethics based and values driven society;
(ii)    Commend the Federal Government for its efforts so far and urge that more publicity on imbibing good ethics and morals be intensified and more support for  organizations, whether secular or faith based, that promote values and ethics in the society;
(iii)    Mandate the Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values to ensure implementation. 

IV.    Some Bills Considered for second reading

i.    A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies Act, Cap. N51, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to Reduce the Size of the Board, Make Provision for Removal of Members of the Board, Give the Board the Power to Approve Additional Directors and Expand the Borrowing Powers of the Institute and for Other Related Matters (HB. 210) (Hon.  Lynda Chuba Ikpeazu)

ii.    A Bill for an Act to Amend the Nigerian Ports Authority Act, Cap. N126, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and for Other Related Matters (HB. 569) (Hon. Ossai N. Ossai)

iii.    A Bill for an Act to Provide for Free Zones in Nigeria; Establish the Nigeria Free Zones Authority and to Repeal the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Act; and for Other Matters Connected Therewith (HB. 37) (Hon. Uzoma Nkem-Abonta)

iv.    A Bill for an Act to Provide for a Time Frame within which to Act on the Recommendation of the National Judicial Council with Regard to Judicial Appointments so as to Avoid Delay in Appointment of Judicial Officers and Ensure Expeditious Appointments of such Officers for Enhanced Justice Delivery and for Other Related Matters (HB. 797) (Hon. Edward Gyang Pwajok)

v.    A Bill for an Act to Ensure the Safe Transportation of Glass-Bottled Drinks and Other Substances on Roads and Highways and for Other Related Matters (HB. 801) (Hon. Olufemi Fakeye)

vi.    A Bill for an Act to Amend the Insurance Act, Cap. L17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to provide for Limit of Liability in Respect of Third Party Liability in Compulsory Insurance of Public Buildings and Buildings under Construction and for Other Related Matters (HB. 402) (Hon. Aliyu Sani Madaki)

vii.    A Bill for an Act to make Provisions for Freedom from Hunger and the Right to Adequate Food of Acceptable Quality; the Right of Every Child to Basic Nutrition and for Other Related Matters (HB. 825) (Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila)

viii.    A Bill for an Act to Amend the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board Act, Cap. J. 1, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and for Other Related Matters (HB. 826) (Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila)

ix.    A Bill for an Act to Repeal the Commodity Boards Act, Cap. C17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and to Re-enact the Commodity and Grains Board as a Body Corporate to Promote, Regulate and Standardize the Production and Exportation of such Commodities and Grains, and for Other Related Matters (HB. 793) (Hon. Mohammed Tahir Monguno)

x.    A Bill for an Act to Establish a Scholarship Board for the Purpose of Planning, Implementing and Overseeing a Federal Scholarship Scheme; and for Other Related Matters (HB. 561) (Hon. Yusuf Ayo Tajudeen)

xi.    A Bill for an Act to Provide for the Establishment of the Nigerian Gas Processing and Marketing Regulatory Board and for Other Related Matters (HB. 606) (Hon. Agbedi Yeitiemone Frederick)

xii.    A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Emergency Management Agency (Establishment Etc.) Act, Cap.N34, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and for Other Related Matters (HB. 804) (Hon. Ali Isa J. C)

xiii.    A Bill for an Act to Establish the Federal University, Wukari and to make Comprehensive Provisions for its Due Management and Administration and for Other Related Matters (HB. 810) (Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila)

xiv.    A Bill for an Act to Repeal the Nigerian Railway Corporation Act, Cap. N129,  Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and Re-enact the Nigerian Railway Act to Provide for the Establishment of the Nigerian Railway Authority, the Framework for Private Sector Participation in the Provision of Rail Services, the Regulation of the Railway Sector and for Other Related Matters (HB. 814) (Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila)

xv.    A Bill for an Act to Amend the Public Procurement Act of 2007 to Provide for and Adopt a Local Content Policy and Timely Completion of Procurement Processes and for Other Related Matters (HB. 815) (Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila)

xvi.    A Bill for an Act to Establish the Institute of Mortgage Brokers and Lenders of Nigeria to Regulate the Activities and Ensure Professionalism in the System and for Other Related Matters (HB. 465) (Hon. Timothy S. L Golu and Hon. Adamu O. Entonu)

xvii.    A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Health Act to Provide for the Regulation of Assisted Birth Technology, for Safe and Ethical Practice of Assisted Reproductive Technology Services and for Other Related Matters (HB. 610) Hon. Segun Adekola)

xviii.    A Bill for an Act to Establish the Institute of Debt Recovery Practitioners of Nigeria to Train, Regulate, License and Exercise Control over the Occupation of Collection and Recovery of Debts, Levies, Fees or Remunerations by Registered Debt Collectors and for Other Related Matters (Hon. Oghene Emma Egoh)  (HB. 624)

xix.    A Bill for an Act to Make History a Core School Subject in Nigeria’s Primary and Secondary Schools and for Other Related Matters (HB. 645) (Hon. Ayodele Oladimeji)

V.    Consideration of report for the week
1)    Committee on Telecommunications (Hon. Saheed Akinade Fijabi)

“That the House do consider the Report of the Committee on Telecommunications on a Bill for an Act to Authorize the issue from the Statutory Revenue Fund of the Nigerian Communications Commission the Total Sum of (N70, 672,492, 000. 00) Seventy Billion, Six Hundred and Seventy-Two Million, Four Hundred and Ninety-Two Thousand Naira only out of which the sum of (N22, 211,186.00) Twenty-Two Billion, Two Hundred and Eleven Million, One Hundred and Eighty-Six Thousand Naira Only is for Recurrent Expenditure, the sum of (15,651, 475. 000.00) Fifteen Billion, Six Hundred and Fifty-One Million, Four Hundred and Seventy-Five Thousand Naira only is for Capital Expenditure, the sum of (N6,557, 708.00) Six Billion, Five Hundred and Fifty-Seven Million, Seven Hundred and Eight Thousand Naira Only is for Special Projects while the sum of (N8, 584, 000,000. 00) Eight Billion, Five Hundred and Eighty-Four Million Naira Only and (N17, 668, 123, 000) Seventeen  Billion, Six Hundred and Sixty-Eight Million, One Hundred and Twenty-Three Thousand Naira Only will be transferred to the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) and the Federal Government of Nigeria, respectively and from the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) the Sum of  (N16, 325, 268, 000. 00) Sixteen Billion, Three Hundred and Twenty-Five Million , Two Hundred and Sixty-Eight Thousand Naira only for the Year Ending on 31 December, 2016 and for Other Related Matters (HB. 740) and approve the Recommendations therein” (Laid: 1/11/2016).


Babajimi Benson, MHR