The Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, PhD, has said the 10th House under his leadership is committed to partnering with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, on the successful implementation of the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ of the current administration.
Speaker Abbas stated this in Abuja on Tuesday when dignitaries from within and outside the National Assembly as well as the international community joined him to officially unveil the Legislative Agenda of the 10th House to the public.
Gracing the occasion were the President of the Senate, Senator Godwill Akpabio; Deputy Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; and Deputy British High Commissioner to Nigeria (Development), Chris Pycroft.
Also at the event were Simon Ridley of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Governance Adviser, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Dr Mathew Ayibakuro; and Resident Representative, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), Marijan Peran.
Others were Dr Biobele Davidson of the BudgIt Foundation; Executive Director, of Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), Dr Clement Nwankwo; and the Head, of the National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER), Nsikan Essien.
Senator Akpabio, SGF Akume and Pycroft presented their goodwill messages at the ceremony.
The House had considered and adopted the Legislative Agenda last week.
In his address at the ceremony, the Speaker noted that upon the inauguration of the 10th House on June 13, 2023, “we were very mindful of the immense responsibility placed upon us by our constituents across Nigeria.”
Speaker Abbas stated that the agenda being unveiled was “a demonstration of our commitment to deploying every legislative instrument available to us, towards meeting the yearnings and aspirations of the people we serve.”
While saying the Legislative Agenda was aptly titled ‘The People’s House,’ the Speaker stated that the policy document was rooted in the fundamental belief that “our primary role as lawmakers is to serve the best interests of our constituents.”
He said: “We recognise the diverse needs and challenges currently facing our nation.
Despite these, we are optimistic that together with His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, we will proffer long-lasting solutions to set Nigeria on a sure path of development.
“Our agenda encompasses a range of eight critical issues, designed to provide the necessary legislative support to the eight-point Agenda of the executive. These issues include strengthening good governance, economic development, improving national security, law reform, economic growth and development, social sector reform and development, inclusion and open parliament, influencing foreign policy and climate change, and environmental sustainability.
“We are dedicated to fostering an environment that promotes sustainable economic growth, and development. We shall use every legislative tool at our disposal to create jobs for our teeming youths, address the challenge posed by poverty, improve infrastructure, ensure top quality and affordable healthcare and provide security for all Nigerians.”
Speaker Abbas mandated all the standing Committees to integrate the Agenda into their respective work plans, while Members of the House should also ensure that legislative proposals, including bills, and motions, are in line with the provisions of the Agenda.
“The adopted structure indicates short, medium and long-term milestones and key performance indicators to track progress easily. The implementation framework is designed to allow for flexibility in responding to emerging issues or crises.
“We have equally set up a Legislative Agenda Monitoring and Implementation Committee to ensure religious implementation of this agenda. I charge citizens to hold us to task on the articulated issues and even more,” he added.
The Speaker commended the efforts put in by the Ad Hoc Committee on Legislative Agenda chaired by the Leader of the House, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, which drafted the document. He equally appreciated technical partners, notably the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) and Yiaga Africa, for their support.
He said: “Most importantly, we appreciate the contributions of citizens who answered the national call to make inputs into this citizens’ agenda.
“I call upon my esteemed colleagues in the House to join hands in pursuit of our shared vision for a better Nigeria. Let us work tirelessly to fulfil our mandate with integrity, diligence, and a deep sense of patriotism. We shall partner with our colleagues in the Senate to drive and achieve the objective and benchmarks set out in this Agenda.”
Speaking earlier, Senate President Akpabio, while noting that the House was introducing its Legislative Agenda ahead of the Senate, said the Red Chamber would emulate the Green Chamber soon.
Senator Akpabio, however, stated that the two chambers of the National Assembly have a shared vision and are working towards achieving the same national goals.