Agitations: We’ll revisit restructuring –Dogara

Says only NASS can actualise restructuring
Senate faults FG over poor funding of 2017 Budget
No, we have released N336bn –FG

Olufemi Samuel, Henry Omunu and Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

Speaker of the House of House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, has declared that the House will revisit the constitution amendment in order to address agitations for restructuring and other national issues in the country.

To actualise this, the House resolved to set up a strong committee to liaise with all stakeholders across the six geopolitical zones to resolve agitations in the country.

This followed the adoption of the motion sponsored by House Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, on the urgent need for the House of Representatives to begin a process of healing and uniting the country through intervention.

Speaking while welcoming lawmakers from their annual recess, Dogara said all questions and issues regarding restructuring can only be addressed through the legislature.

He said, “Do we have a legislative response to the issues that have been thrown up? Is the National Assembly involved in the debate? Can restructuring take place outside the existing legal order? Indeed, all the arguments about restructuring are at the end of the day, legislative issues.

“It may be necessary in due course for the National Assembly to have a second look at the issues that have been thrown up. The National Assembly as a representative and product of the people cannot act contrary to the wishes and aspirations of its constituents.

“We need to sift all the noise and find out what exactly a majority of our people actually want? This is a responsibility we cannot outsource”. Dogara added that he believes that the National Assembly needs to revisit aspects of the voting on constitution alteration.

He further said, “Luckily, we still have the legislative window of conferencing with the Senate, where we have differences.”

According to him, it has become necessary to emphasise that Nigeria is a constitutional democracy with a clear legal framework for resolving differences that normally arise among citizens, between citizens and government as well as between the structures and arms of government.

“Make no mistake, as representatives of the people, we have a duty to champion the protection and preservation of the rights of our constituents and peoples.

We are very conscious and indeed jealous of the fundamental rights provided under our constitution as well as the Human and Peoples Rights under the African Charter,” he added.

Commenting on the NGO Regulation bill being considered by the House, the speaker stated that public criticism of the content of the bill is a welcome development and that it is the reason why every bill is subjected to a public hearing so that the inputs of stakeholders can be obtained to ensure public buy-in.

He said, “When opinions are targeted at disparaging the institution of the legislature, then it becomes imperative to interrogate the motives driving such, especially when this emanates from those who should know.

“Everyone should understand that the principal objective of the NGO Regulation Bill is to inject transparency, accountability and prevent the subversion of national security from both within and without.

“No one can nor indeed should gag the operations of NGOs in Nigeria, but just as they aspire for this freedom, it must be stated that freedom does not come without responsibility as there is no such thing as freedom to be irresponsible.

There are also desperate attempts to instigate religious bodies and cultural organisations to oppose the bill by spreading falsehood that they are the target of this bill.

“For the avoidance of doubt, let me state once again that churches, mosques, esusu, market women associations as well as local quasi financial institutions are not NGOs and thus the bill has nothing to do with their operations. “The legislative process cannot be short-circuited.

The National Assembly cannot be intimidated into abandoning its sacred legislative duties of providing a platform for Nigerians to agree or disagree on any proposed legislative measure.

This openness and transparency is what the NGOs have always canvassed and promoted and they should, therefore, embrace this opportunity to interrogate the issues with open arms.”

In moving his motion, Gbajabiamila alluded to the different agitations across Nigeria which have led to divergent views on the suitability of redefining the structures upon which the unity of Nigeria is founded. The House leader said that the various agitations have resulted into proscription of groups, loss of lives and judicial pronouncements.

He appealed to House members to drop partisan politics, ethnic and religious interests and speak with one voice to save the country from disintegration.

But The Senate, on Tuesday, frowned at what it described as the poor funding of the 2017 Budget by the executive arm of the government, saying that poor implementation of the Budget may return Nigeria to recession again.

The Senate, which resumed plenary sessions after about eight weeks’ recess, said that only about 10 percent of the N7.4 trillion 2017 Budget has been implemented so far notwithstanding that the fiscal year is barely three months to the end of the year.

Worried by this, the Senate, however, summoned the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun and her counterpart in the Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, to appear before it and explain the reason behind what it called poor implementation of the budget.

The Senate took this decision after adopting a motion moved by Senator Yahaya Abdullahi tagged: “Stabilizing and sustaining post recession growth of the economy.”

Presenting the motion, the Senator expressed dismay against poor funding of the Budget, stressing that the sum of N310 billion released by the government was a far cry from what was required for effective implementation.

He lamented that the sum of $9bn had been spent by the government so far for the purpose of stabilising the naira.

Senator Yahya lamented also that failure to expeditiously fulfill all righteousness on budget implementation with correct release of require funds may drag the Nigerian economy back to recession.