Leadership (Abuja)
Philip Nyam And Adesuwa Tsan
31 October 2009
Abuja — Worried by the inability of the Ministry of Health to establish primary health care centres across the country as appropriated for in the 2009 budget, the House of Representatives has invited the minister of Health, Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin to appear before its plenary, to explain why the over N3 billion project is still pending less than two months to the end of the year.
Chairman of the House Committee on Health, Hon. Alaba Ojomo who disclosed this yesterday at a joint press briefing, said although a date had not been fixed for the minister's appearance the decision to summon the helmsman of the ministry became inevitable, following the minister's relaxed posture on the use of the funds.
He said the committee had at different times engaged the minister on the matter, but nothing tangible was elicited from him, necessitating the committee's decision to take the issue to the general house.
"It is now necessary to ask the minister to appear before the whole House and tell members what he has not been willing to explain to members at the committee level.
"This issue of primary health care is important in guaranteeing the health of the rural people, and we cannot afford to fold our arms and watch certain persons do things their own way.
"Over N3 billion was appropriated for the centres; to build them in all local government areas, but we are yet to know how many of the projects have been implemented, at what stage some of the projects are, and which ones are yet to be done.
"These things have to be explained, because the year is running out. If we are not concerned, the funds will be returned to the treasury by the end of the day as unspent funds, and the aim of the appropriation will be defeated," he said.
Ojomo explained that they were worried that the ministry is not set to implement its budgetary allocation 100 per cent, a situation he said that contravenes the nation's 1999 Constitution.
"The Appropriation Act, passed by the National Assembly provides that ministries and agencies of government adhere strictly to the implementation of budgets. So anything short of that is a contravention of the law.
"There should be no reason why other sectors of government will implement their intervention across board, while those of critical sectors like health are not attended to," he said.
Meanwhile, the House has denied seeking immunity for its members and other legislators in the country through the Bill for an Act to amend the Legislative Houses, Powers and Privileges Act of 2004.
Sponsor of the Bill, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson, who briefed newsmen alongside the chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Eseme Eyiboh and that of the Committee on Health, Dr. Alaba Ojomo yesterday, said it was a legislation intended to enhance transparency in legislative activities, and the deepening of the country's democracy.
Specifically, section 29 of the proposed amendment Bill, which passed second reading on the floor of the House about a fortnight ago, had been generating a lot of criticism across board, prompting Dickson to debunk what he termed a misrepresentation of the real intentions of the law.
The section states in part that a lawmaker of a legislative house to which the law applies, "shall not be arrested without a warrant duly issued by a judge of a Federal High Court, High Court of the Federal Capital Territory or High Court of a state," except in the circumstances as:
"Upon a reasonable suspicion or allegation of commission of treason or treasonable felony against government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria;
"When the member is physically caught in an actual commission of a felony against the federal law, or the law of a state."
Dickson said the extant Act had appeared obsolete, and therefore there was the need to amend it in order to accommodate contemporary legislative issues, which he noted would include electronic voting at plenary sitting of all legislative houses, and provide a right for the people to assess the legislative voting records on matters of public interest.
"The Bill is on immunity for members. And let me tell you that no Act of parliament can alter the immunity legislation, which is for state governors, the president and so on, because it is a constitutional issue. It is just for the procedure of getting a lawmaker to justice," he said.
Seriake, who is also chairman of the House Committee on Justice, said the proposed law simply called for a notice to be served on a presiding officer of a legislative house, which member was to be arrested, sequel to which the member concerned must make himself available to the relevant agency within two weeks, or be charged with contempt.
"The House is not in any way, considering an immunity legislation, as it has also made provisions that it is not good for lawmakers to shun invitations and summons from law enforcement agencies."
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