Reps: Fresh crisis brews as Adhoc committee strips deputy speaker of responsibilities

A fresh round of crisis appears to be in the offing in the House of Representatives, following some subterranean moves to strip Yusuf Lasun, deputy speaker, of his statutory functions; BusinessDay findings show.

The Adhoc Committee had in its report laid before the House, before the lower chamber proceeded on a six-week recess, proposed an amendment of standing Order 25 (Eighth edition), which provides that “the Deputy Speaker shall be the Chairman of Committee of the Whole House, save when the House goes into the Committee of Supply or Ways and Means.”

In one of its recommendations, however, the Adhoc Committee proposed that the Speaker should preside over the Committee of Whole, which is responsible for considering reports on bills and investigative hearings, as provided by the Standing Orders of the Seventh Assembly.

Meanwhile, contrary to Speaker Yakubu Dogara’s stance to prune the number of Standing Committees, as encapsulated in the Legislative Agenda, the Adhoc Committee proposed the establishment of 95 Standing Committees against 46 recommended by the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS).

To this end, the Committee recommended the splitting of Committees on Agriculture, Education, Marine Transport, Insurance and Judiciary.

BusinessDay findings further reveal that over 80 percent of the 91 standing committees established during Speaker Aminu Tambuwal’s era met twice, while most committees made no single referral during the four-year legislative term.

A member of the drafting committee, who spoke under condition of anonymity, said that the move to create new standing committees was to boost political patronage among members, as well as avoid redundancy of some clerks attached to the standing committees.

The newly recommended committees that were split are Agriculture, Education, Marine, Judiciary and Insurance, but the committee on poverty alleviation was scrapped. Two new committees, those on  Delegated Legislation, FCT High Court; Federal High Court and Insurance would be created.

Analysts observed that the report, if implemented as submitted, would increase the running cost of the National Assembly and contradicts Legislative Agenda adopted by members.

According to them, the ongoing development may lead to poor funding, poor quality staffing and reduce most committees to chairman and deputy chairman affairs.

A source confirmed that the “Senate is maintaining the old structure of about 55 standing committees.”

Sani Zorro, chairman Adhoc Committee on Media and Public Affairs, during a chat with Legislative Correspondents assured that the list of various standing committees would be released by the Speaker.

Zorro, who admitted that the delay in the inauguration of the standing committees impeded on the legislative activities, said: “Some of you were interested in the second reading of the bills, but as you have seen, there were 35 bills laid.

“As for reasons they have not undergone second reading, it’s simply because of technical processes. First of all, they will be gazetted, after gazetting, second reading and be referred to the standing committees which are not in place.

“But I want to assure you also that the procedure or the process of establishing or constituting the standing committees has already begun.

“Quite a number of you have noted already that the selection committee was inaugurated by the Speaker of the House who is also the chair of the selection committee.

“You are also being told that a smaller committee based on representation of the six geopolitical zones is also in place.

“The next step is to circulate a form that members will fill, indicating their preferences, the committees which they will want to serve and, of course, it will capture not only their preferences, but also their competencies, talents, skills, and other qualities that will guide the committee in placing them appropriately.

“This will be achieved also in the weeks to come, while in process. In other words, the selection committee of the House, as well as other committees that have jobs, tasks and assignments to accomplish will be very much around,” Zorro said.

“Up till now, we are expecting the committees to be rolled out, and if they are, I will be too happy to give you copies and announce the committees that we have. What happens is that up till now, inputs have been made and I can tell you to some extent, that the honourable Speaker and his team are taking another look at the committees, their relevance and do not be surprised if at the end of the day, you may not have the same number of committees as obtained before now.

“In other words, the number of the committees will be based on the new thinking of the leadership and I can guarantee you that before the end of today or possibly tomorrow they will finish work or it and give you the list of the committees.”

In a swift reaction to the report, Yussuf Lasun, deputy speaker, explained that the ad-hoc committee, which was mandated to review its rule, will present its report to the House for robust debate before it becomes the new House Rule for the 8th Assembly.

Lasun however said the report was “another attempt to sow seed of discord in the House of Representatives by their phantom claim that the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara is stripping the Deputy Speaker, Yussuff Sulaimon Lasun, of the statutory duties of the deputy speaker.

“While the office is disinclined to reacting to ill-intentioned reports, promoted by external forces, we owe it to the unsuspecting public to clarify issues and let the sponsors stew in their concoction of lies,” Wole Oladimeji, chief press secretary to the deputy speaker, said in a statement titled ‘Speaker Dogara not stripping Deputy Speaker’s function’.

KEHINDE AKINTOLA