Report of House of Representatives Proceedings (October 9 - October 13, 2017)
The following are the summary of activities that happened on the floor of the House of Representatives (October 9 - October 13, 2017) #RepsThisWeek
- Message From The President
Nil
- Some Bills considered for first reading
- Abduction, Wrongful and Confinement for Ransom Bill, 2017 (HB. 1168) (Senate)
- Anti-Jungle Justice (Prohibition, etc.) Bill, 2017 (HB. 1169) (Senate)
- Some Motions considered for the week
- Need to Assist Communities in Kwara State affected by Flooding of the River Niger from Kebbi State through to Bayelsa State(Hon. Aliyu B. Ahman Pategi)
The House resolved to:
(i) urge the Federal Government to urgently assist the communities ravaged by the flood to ameliorate the hardships caused by loss of their crops and means of livelihood;
(ii) also urge the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief and building materials to the affected communities;
(iii) further urge the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to assist the affected communities with tractors, implements and other agro inputs to position them towards the next planting season;
(iv) equally urge the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to include the sum of ₦1.5 billion in the 2018 Appropriations proposal for completion of the Tada-Shonga Irrigation Project which has been on-going for quite some time now; and
(v) mandate the Committees on Water Resources, Appropriations, and Agricultural Production and Services to ensure implementation.
- Call to Control the Manufacturing and Use of Single-Use Plastic Bags (Polythene) and Replace Same with Biodegradable or Fabric Materials (Hon. Sergius Ose Ogun)
The House resolved to:
Mandate the Committees on Environment and Habitat and Climate Change to interface with the Federal Ministry of Environment to regulate the manufacture, arbitrary use and disposal of single – use plastic bags and effectively direct waste recycling, and report back within six (6) weeks for further legislative action.
- Need to Resuscitate the 132/33 KVA Arochukwu Electricity Substation (Hon. Nkole Uko Ndukwe)
The House resolved to:
Mandate the Committee on Power to investigate the circumstances surrounding the abandonment of the Arochukwu 2×30 MVA 132/33 KVA Substation as well as establish the facts regarding the placement or otherwise of the project on the Federal Government’s power privatization programme and make recommendations within six (6) weeks for further legislative action.
- Call to Investigate the Abandonment of the Remodelling of Port Harcourt International Airport ( O. K. Chinda)
The House resolved to:
(i) urge the Federal Government to urgently cause the resumption of rehabilitation works at the Port Harcourt International Airport; and
(ii) mandate the Committees on Aviation, Anti-Corruption and Public Accounts to investigate the expenditure of all the monies released for the upgrading and maintenance of the Airport from 2011 to date, and the reasons for the abandonment of rehabilitation works at the Airport, with a view to ensuring that same is completed, and report back within four (4) weeks for further legislative action.
- Need to Investigate the Alleged Importation of Genetically Modified Maize into Nigeria ( Kingsley Obinna Onwubuariri and Hon. Munir Babba Dan Agundi)
The House resolved to:
Mandate the Committees on Agricultural Production and Services, and Customs and Excise to investigate the circumstances that led to the importation of the genetically modified maize without clearance from the National Biosafety Management Agency and recommend appropriate measures to protect the nation from importation of such products in future, and report back within eight (8) weeks for further legislative action.
- Need to Address the Effects of Malnutrition in the Country ( Abubakar Amuda-Kannike G)
The House resolved to:
(i) urge the Federal Ministry of Health to, as a matter of urgency, declare a state of emergency on the menace of malnutrition; and
(ii) mandate the Committee on Healthcare Services to invite the Minister of Health to intimate the Committee on the Ministry’s efforts towards combating the spread of the menace as well as the challenges in doing so, with a view to effectively tackling the menace and report back in six (6) weeks for further legislative action.
- Threat to National Security in the Large Number of Condemned Inmates in the Prisons ( Anayo Nnebe)
The House resolved to:
(i) appeal to Governors in whose States condemned criminals are being held to either endorse the death warrants/sentences or commute same to life imprisonment;
(ii) urge the Federal Government to beef-up security around prison facilities in the country, with particular attention being paid to condemned inmates cells;
(iii) also urge relevant agencies saddled with the task of prison decongestion, such as the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Police, the Judiciary, the Nigeria Prisons Service to evolve more practical approaches towards restoring order to the system; and
(iv) mandate the Committee on Interior to ensure implementation.
- Need to Determine Why Food Products Prohibited from Exportation are being Exported and also do not Meet International Standards (Hon. Gaza Jonathan Ghefwi)
The House resolved to:
Mandate the Committees on Agricultural Production and Services and Customs and Excise to interface with the:
(a) Minister of Agriculture on why the law prohibiting the exportation of yam tubers was flagrantly disregarded, thereby causing immense embarrassment to the country;
(b) Comptroller-General of Customs, the Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, the Director General of the Standards Organization of Nigeria and Head of the Nigerian Quarantine Service and Heads of all other relevant Agencies to explain why:
(i) they granted export license for food products prohibited from exportation;
(ii) food products they approved for exportation did not meet the prescribed quality and standards of the countries they were exported to, and report back in eight (8) weeks for further legislative action.
- Some Bills considered for second reading
- A Bill for an Act to Repeal the Veterinary Surgeons Act, Cap. V3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and Re-enact the Veterinary Surgeons Act, 2017 and for Related Matters (HB. 836) ( Linus Okorie)
- A Bill for an Act to improve the Efficacy of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Provide Detailed Measures and Principles for Speedy Development of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises and Comprehensively Define the Responsibilities of each Stakeholder for their Maximum Contribution to National Economic Development, Employment Generation and Poverty Eradication in Nigeria and for Related Matters (HB.1059) ( Muhammed Sani Abdu)
- A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control Act, Cap. N1, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to Provide for the Inclusion of Raw and Semi Processed Foods, to Create a Directorate of National Tobacco Control and to Provide for the Payment of all Monies Received by the Agency into the Federation Account in accordance with Section 162 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and for Other Related Matters (HBs 495, 883 and 940) ( Olufemi Fakeye, Hon. Dickson Tarkighir and Hon. Gyang Istifanus Dung)
- A Bill for an Act to Provide for the Establishment of Federal College of Education, Lissam, Taraba State for the Purposes of Providing Qualitative Education in Sciences, Arts, Social Sciences and Other Technical Knowledge and for Related Matters (HB. 1042) ( Rimamnde Shawulu Kwewum)
- A Bill for an Act to Establish the Institute of Chartered Sales Professionals of Nigeria to Regulate the Standards of Practice of Salesmanship in Nigeria and for Related Matters (HB.1072) ( Sylvester Ogbaga)
- A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Universities Commission Act, Cap. N81, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, to expressly give the Commission Power to Regulate the Condition of Service and Procedure for the Engagement of Academic Staff other than Non-Academic Staff Members on Part Time Basis or Visiting Lectureship and for Related Matters (HB.958) ( Abbas Tajudeen)
- A Bill for an Act to Repeal the Maintenance Orders Act, Cap. M1, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 as it is no longer Relevant in the Current Dispensation (HB. 305) ( Zakari Mohammed)
- Some Bills considered for Third reading
- Nil
- Committee reports considered for the week
- Committee on Police Affairs:
Hon. Haliru Dauda Jika.
“That the House do resume consideration of the Report of the Committee on Police Affairs on a Bill for an Act to Establish the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) charged with Responsibilities, among Others, to Provide Community Policing, Maintenance of Law and Order and Community Service for Nigerians and for Related Matters (HB.718) and approve the recommendations therein” (Adjourned Consideration: 10/10/2017):
Clause 12: Ranks and Insignia.
(1) The Commandant General — Coat of Arms, two Stars at the Centre and Vigilante Group of Nigeria logo.
(2) Deputy Commandant General — Coat of Arms, a Star at the Centre and Vigilante Group of Nigeria logo.
(3) Assistant Commandant General — Coat of Arms, one Bar at the Centre and Vigilante Group of Nigeria logo.
(4) Group Commandant — Coat of Arms and Vigilante Group of Nigeria logo.
(5) Deputy Group Commandant — a Star and Vigilante Group of Nigeria logo.
(6) Assistant Group Commandant — Vigilante Group of Nigeria logo.
(7) Chief Group Superintendent — Coat of Arms and one Star.
(8) Group Superintendent — Coat of Arms.
(9) Deputy Group Superintendent — three Stars.
(10) Assistant Group Superintendent I — two Stars.
(11) Assistant Group Superintendent II — one Star.
(12) Chief Inspector — four Bars.
(13) Senior Inspector — three Bars.
(14) Inspector — two Bars.
(15) Group Sergeant.
(16) Corporal.
(17) Lance Corporal.
(18) Operative — Retained.
Babajimi Benson, MHR
