Members of the National Assembly will today resume the last legislative session after two months recess.
The House of Representatives is set to probe the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s recent creation of additional 30,000 polling units (PUs) ahead of 2015 polls.
Stakeholders in the polity have expressed divergent views on the development, depending on understanding and where interest lies.
INEC has insisted that the creation of additional PUs is to ensure that no polling unit has more than 500 voters. With the new polling units, the country now has 150,000 voting centres.
Deputy chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon Victor Ogene, in a reaction to the development, assured that the House Committee on Electoral Matters would interface with various aggrieved interest groups with the view to avert crisis ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
Ogene said, “The Committee on Electoral Matters will also interface with various INEC and other stakeholders on electoral issues that came up, including the bye-elections held in some states.
“It will create an opportunity for them to brief the House appropriately and for us to take informed decision on resumption”.
Meanwhile, the House has assured of speedy consideration of some crucial pending legislation as federal lawmakers resume Today from their two-month long recess.
Mohammed Zakari, chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, confirmed this to journalist.
Some of the pending bills considered for expedited consideration include Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB); Cybercrime Bill; Tobacco Bill; Anti-Terrorism Bill and Asset Forfeiture Bill, and constitution review.
While speaking on some of the national issues, Victor Ogene, deputy chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, told journalist that various standing committees including health and education during the recess interfaced with major stakeholders as part of efforts towards resolving national crises.
He also disclosed that the committee on education will on Monday meet with major stakeholders in the education sector including Ibrahim Shekarau, minister of education; Onyebuchi Chukwu, minister of health and Emeka Wogu, minister of labour and productivity.
Also expected at the meeting are presidents and national executive council members of Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Parents, Teachers Association (PTA), among others.
Aminu Tambuwal, speaker of the House of Representatives, had last week directed the House committee on education to interface with various stakeholders with a view to resolving the lingering crisis over the new resumption date of September 22 for primary and secondary schools across the country.
The Federal Government had postponed the resumption date as part of measures to contain the spread of Ebola virus disease (EVD).
Ogene, who conveyed the directive, said, “In the wake of the outbreak of the dreaded Ebola virus disease in the country, education minister, Ibrahim Shekarau, had announced a postponement in the resumption date of schools from September to October 13, 2014, so as to give the country’s health authorities enough time to ensure containment.
“In a swift reaction, however, private school owners had vehemently opposed the one-month shift in resumption, compelling the Federal Ministry of Education to settle for a new date of September 22, 2014, after a meeting with stakeholders in the sector.”
While reacting to the crisis on the creation of 30,000 polling units as announced by Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), Ogene assured that the House committee on electoral matters would interface with various aggrieved interest groups with a view to averting crisis ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
“The committee on electoral matters will also interface with INEC and other stakeholders on electoral issues that came up including the bye-elections held in some states.
“It will create opportunity for them to brief the House appropriately and for us to take informed decision on resumption,” Ogene, who is presently on oversight function to his constituency in Anambra State.
AIT.
