House Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Monday in Abuja, inaugurated three committees entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring the smooth take off of proceedings when the 9th House resumes on July 2.
The committees, constituted on June 13, are the Selection Committee headed by the Speaker, and ad-hoc committees on Welfare and Media chaired by Wale Raji (APC-Lagos) and Khadijat Abbah-Ibrahim (APC-Yobe), respectively.
The welfare committee is expected to allocate offices and make sitting arraignments for members while the ad hoc committee on media will interface with the public on behalf of the house. The selection committee will decide on selections of members and chairmen of standing committees of the house.
Gbajabiamila said though the tasks were enormous, the committees were expected to discharge their duties within the next seven days. The speaker said he and Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase would go round to inspect the work done three days to the resumption of the House on July 2.
Responding, Rep. Henry Archibong (PDP-Akwa Ibom), a member of the welfare committee, promised that they would deliver on the mandate given to them. Archibong thanked the speaker for hitting the ground running after his election and entrusting the members with the responsibilities. He disclosed that the members were happy that Gbajabiamila emerged as the speaker and were ready to work with him for the progress of the assembly and the entire country.
Also on Monday, Gbaja and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, held a closed door meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Gbajabiamila, who fielded questions from State House correspondents afterwards, promised to carry opposition lawmakers along in committee membership and leadership. Gbaja said the meeting with the vice president was all about moving the country forward. He said that meeting centered on Nigeria and charting a roadmap on how to tackle the problems confronting the nation.
“Those were the issues we discussed; it was not a personal visit; but you can call it a hybrid between personal and official; but mostly official, addressing the issues of the problem. We discussed on how the executive and the legislature can collaborate to make life better for Nigeria and Nigerians. Committees will be unfolded in the next few weeks and you will see how we intend to carry the opposition along; I am not letting anything out of the bag but you can be sure that they will be carried along.
“You heard my inaugural speech; we are going to be doing things differently; we are going to build on whatever the achievements are of the 8th Assembly. It is going to be a reformed house; the reforms are going to be dished out piecemeal so as not to shut the system.
“But there will be reforms that will be for the benefit of the country. We see how it goes,’’ he said.
The speaker said members of the 9th Assembly expected the cooperation of all arms of government, including the executive, journalists and their constituents.”
