27Nov, 23
- Temidayo Taiwo-Sidiq
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Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen PhD, is championing an inclusive budget process ahead of the 2024 Appropriation Bill presentation this Wednesday.
Speaker Tajudeen in declaring the retreat open, stated that the Green Chamber under his leadership will for the first time at the national level, convene a Budget Town Hall. This initiative he notes will enable citizens to make input into the 2024 Appropriation Bill as part of the ‘People’s House’ commitment in its Legislative Agenda to ensure greater involvement of the public at hearings.
The Retreat which is coming two days before President Bola Tinubu’s presentation of the 2024 Appropriation Bill to a Joint Session of the National Assembly this Wednesday, witnessed a huge turnout of Committee Chairpersons and Deputies.
In facilitating a session at the retreat, a former President of the Senate, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim noted that an effective legislature is always at the centre of democratic progress. The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) further urged the Leadership of the various Standing Committees to prioritise mutual respect for the executive, regular interface, efficient communication and sincerity of purpose in the discharge of their oversight duties.
On his part, Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, who was Guest of Honour at the retreat, enjoined the leadership of the various committees to articulate the factors necessitating any investigation to be conducted. He added that the expected outcomes and steps intended to ensure that the recommendations are fully implemented should also be communicated in the most unambiguous terms.
According to the former Speaker, such actions represent the most effective way to avoid parliamentary investigations being cast as witch-hunting exercises or distractions from governance.
Other facilitators at the meeting including House Leader, Rep. Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, Rep. Iduma Igariwey Enwo, Chief of Staff to the Speaker; Prof. Jake Dan-Azumi, and the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Ben Kalu who delivered the closing remarks all harped on the need for Committee Leadership to use the capacity built at the retreat to deliver on the all-important responsibility of legislative oversight.
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