The leadership of the House of Representatives on Tuesday finally resumed its legislative activities with a vow to “disappoint those who call the National Assembly – House of Representatives rubber stamp”, going forward.

Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, who stated this at a press briefing with Parliamentary Correspondents in Abuja, also warned the Executive arm on the need to ensure full implementation of the 2020 Appropriation Act, following the passage of the Finance bill and the return of the nation’s budget cycle to January to December.

“There is a political will to sustain the achievement of the past six months of the Ninth Assembly. I said so because we are now going to wear our cap of doing the watchdog function.

“We are going to disappoint those people who call the National Assembly – the House of Representatives ‘rubber stamp’. This Assembly is wearing a dog watching cap from now on.

“What does that mean, it means that those items we took our time to capture in the budget, they are not just mere letters, they supposed to transform into affecting lives of the common Nigerians.

“So we are going to watch the executive work their talk and if they don’t, we will be on them as allows by Section 88 & 89 of the Constitution which regards to our oversight function.

“This does not in any way mean that the relationship between us and other arms of government are not going to be there, but we must do our job. So the MDAs should sit up and expect the policing of the legislative arm with regards to making sure that all that has been captured are implemented. That is the only way and the major way we will sustain what we are achieved for Nigerians in the last six months.

“Of not so, it will be an exercise in futility, that we are going to give life to those letters making sure that implementation is achieved,” the Media Chairman assured Nigerians.

While speaking on the set agenda for the House after resumption from the Christmas and New Year recess especially on the spate of killings of innocent citizens across the country, Hon. Kalu explained that the House will prioritise issues bothering on timely passage of Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), review of Electoral Act, Constitution review and security. (Nigerian Tribune)

Update news