The Speaker Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara (APC: Bauchi) at the plenary session of September 21st 2016, welcomed members from the annual recess of the House of Representatives. The Speaker in his welcome speech titled “We shall not be distracted” expressed gratitude over the peaceful conduct of the Id el Kabir celebration and the safe return of Honorable Members and declared his confidence in them to focus on the arduous legislative task ahead.
During the address, Hon. Dogara in reviewing the recent crisis of the Budget padding allegations facing the House of Representatives, stated the situation has given cause for grave concern and it is a threat to the corporate integrity and image of the House as a democratic institution designed by the Constitution to play a vital role in the democratic system. He further confirmed that the actions of the erstwhile Chairman of Appropriation Committee, Hon. Jibrin Abdulmumuni (APC; Kano) was aimed not only at destroying the image of some Members but a systematic destruction of the House by portraying it to the public as an irredeemably corrupt institution.
Hon. Dogara while urging the House to focus on critical and sensitive matters of urgent national importance said that any effort made to bring the House to destruction will not succeed but rather the House would emerge stronger and more committed to attaining national goals.
Speaking on the state of the economy, Hon. Dogara explained that the House of Representatives is committed to collaborating with the Executive in providing an effective solution to the economic recession. He therefore called on President Muhammad Buhari to consider holding a joint session of the National Assembly to brief both the legislature and Nigerians on his plans to pull Nigeria out of recession.
On the issue of budget reforms, implementation, and the role of the legislature in the Budget process, Hon. Dogara expressed concerns over the unsatisfactory conduct of budget procedures stating that the pre-budget consultations and interface between the Executive and the Legislature were inadequate resulting to numerous challenges. To this regard, he mentioned that the review of the budget process will emphasize promotion of an inclusive system that seeks to encourage cooperation between the Legislature and Executive; adoption of an effective Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and strict compliance with the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) 2007.
In his concluding remarks, Hon. Dogara assured Nigerians that the House of Representatives remains accountable to citizens and would strive to justify the mandate bestowed upon it to serve.
