Stanley Nkwazema
12 July 2008
Abuja — The House of Representatives is seeking for an Act to compel the president to deliver a state of the nation address every year.
The sponsor of the bill, Honourable Cyril Madua-bum, said it would further strengthen the implementation of provisions of Sections 4[2], 5, 13 and item 60 of the exclusive legislative list of the 1999 Constitution.
He argued that it would not be out of place for the House to make a law for the President to present a state of the nation address to the National Assembly every year.
In the proposed bill, "The Office of the Secretary to Government shall be responsible for the collation and compilation of all government initiatives geared towards implementation of Chapter 11 of the Constitution and forward the draft report mandated by Section 5 of this Act to the president for onward delivery to each House of the National Assembly, every year."
When the speaker put the bill to question, the lawmakers were unanimous in approving that it be committed to the committee on Inter-Governmental Affairs.
Also yesterday, the leadership of the House explained the reason for removal of the chairman of the Committee on Appropriation, Honou-rable Festus Adegoke, from his position.
The House said it was aimed at reinvigorating the committee for the amendment of the 2008 budget as requested by President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.
The chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Honourable Eziuche Ubani, said the action was to make the appropriation process more effective particularly against the backdrop of the amendment bill forwarded by President Yar'Adua.
He said the 2008 Budget exercise was characterised by serious controversies and the buck ended on the former chairman's table and so, the leadership felt that the amendment bill should be handled under a new chairman.
"It was a decision of the leadership of the House to make the appropriation process more effective. So, it used the opportunity of the 2008 Budget amendment bill to beef up the committee.
"You all saw that the House had a lot of trouble with the last budget exercise and the buck stops at the table of the committee chairman.
"So, the leadership felt that there was the need to make the process more effective by beefing up the committee and that was all," Ubani explained.
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