As part of the efforts of the House of Representatives to ensure that Nigeria exits the current economic recession and alleviate the hardship caused by the recession, Speaker Yakubu Dogara yesterday inaugurated a Technical Committee on Economic Recession.

The committee, comprising of 16 erudite professionals with vast experience in economics and sundry issues, is to monitor the various steps and policies of the government aimed at taking Nigeria out of recession.

While delivering a speech at the inauguration at the National Assembly, Dogara said the technical committee of the House will craft “enduring legislative tools to be deployed in helping policy makers and implementors adhere to timelines in their drive to exit recession and return Nigeria to sustainable economic growth and prosperity.”

He expressed dismay that “today, some of our people can no longer afford to feed. Some school children are dropping out of school due to inability of parents to pay school fees. Transportation, power, healthcare are difficult for the ordinary citizen. There is general anguish on the faces of Nigerians due to poverty and hunger.”

Continuing, Dogara said: |We cannot, however, continue to lament. The problems are well known. At this point in time, it is the solutions that matters more and that is what should engage our attention. As a parliament, we are committed to ensuring that the sufferings being experienced by ordinary Nigerians are alleviated. These challenges may appear too difficult to surmount but the good news is that they are surmountable. Other nations have surmounted greater economic challenges in the past and Nigeria’s case cannot be different.

“We in the National Assembly have aligned with the executive arm of government to turn around the economy by focusing on priorities that will make maximum impact on economic recovery and respectable growth. As partners in progress, the National Assembly had in 2016 offered wide ranging legislative and other economic ideas and solutions to the Executive in a concurrent Resolution of both Chambers. Senate Resolution (S/Res./018/02/16) and House Resolution (HR.107/2016) refers.”

The Speaker recalled that the decision to partner with the executive to tackle the recession is in line with keeping with his promise during the inauguration of the 8th Assembly on the 9th of June, 2015, when he said, “we as a parliament can only justify the confidence of our people by keeping faith with our duties of Law making, representation and oversight of the Executive arm of government. However, in spite of our responsibility for checking and balancing the Executive, good governance can only be effected when all arms of government are working in harmony and partnership to bring about the changes voted for by Nigerians on March 28, 2015.

“In a similar vein, we affirmed that the centre point of our legislative agenda will be to collaborate with the various arms of government and the Senate to legislate for the common good of the Nigerian citizens with emphasis on reforms that will promote rapid national economy growth and development, tackle poverty, unemployment…. Indeed our major legislative initiative was to support diversification of Nigeria’s economy to foster its development from mono product economy to an economy with a diversified base.

“To this end, we introduced Sectoral Debate on various aspects of the economy as a legislative initiative to address the national economic problems. This sectoral debate was held with relevant heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of government who briefed the House on concrete plans to take the country out of economic recession.”

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