By Oduyemi Odumade
The Speaker of the
House of Representatives, Dr Abbas Tajudeen says the House will convene a Budget Townhall Meeting to enable citizens to make inputs into the 2024 Appropriation Bill.
Dr Abbas made the remark while declaring Open a one day retreat for Committee Chairmen and their Deputies on improving legislative performance through effective committee management.
This he said is to assist the house in preparing for a vigorous and all-inclusive budget process as the 2024 Budget Presentation will be in few days.
The Speaker explained that the retreat was organized to provide a comprehensive understanding of the tasks ahead, especially for many of the members taking up the legislative responsibilities for the first time.
Dr. Abbas however stated that despite the growing assertiveness of the Nigerian legislature, its committees face several challenges that impedes their overall effectiveness.
“These include a high turnover rate and its attendant effect on legislative expertise. For instance, the 10th House of Representatives has recorded the highest attrition rate since the return to democracy in 1999. As a result, critical knowledge and expertise have been lost in the process.
“Other factors include insufficient resources, particularly inadequate funding, staffing and resources, all of which limit their ability to conduct thorough analysis and research.
The Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, said the leadership, and
dedication of the committee Chairmen and their Deputies are essential in steering the legislative agenda, shaping public policy, and upholding the principles of good governance.
The Chief of Staff to the President and former Speaker of the House, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, observed that the collapse of local government in the country has pushed responsibilities and interventions on legislators which is outside their primary constitutional responsibilities of making laws.
According to him, the local governments have been systematically weakened and people now look up to the federal and state legislators for interventions for the people to have access to dividends of democracy which he said was an anomaly.
The Chief of Staff called on the Lawmakers to set aside political differences and work together in the best interest of the nation.
Edited By Grace Namiji
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