The Senate and the House of Representatives on Tuesday, 28 April 2020 resumed plenary from its 5-week recess following the COVID-19 outbreak.
Both Chambers discussed extensively on the current situation and challenges of the outbreak across the country, including adopting legislative measures that seeks to address existing gaps in the procedures and implementation plans of the Federal Government’s initiative. Key highlights from the Chambers proceedings are as follows:
Senate
- Senate approved N850billion from the Domestic Capital Market for funding of the 2020 Appropriation Act;
- Senate urged the Executive to appropriate 10% of GDP as Stimulus Package for investment into key sectors;
- Senate receives request from President Buhari to confirm appointments to the Federal Character Commission, Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), and the Federal Civil Service Commission;
- The President of the Senate, Sen. Ahmad Lawan (Yobe: APC) named Sen. Biodun Olujimi (Ekiti: PDP) as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs; and
- The Senate suspended plenary “Sine die”
House of Representatives
- The Quarantine Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2020 scaled second reading in the House of Representatives and was slated for consideration on Tuesday, 5th May 2020;
- House of Representatives resolves to hold its plenary sittings at least once every week on Tuesday, until the lockdown is over;
- House of Representatives condemned in entirety, the maltreatment, discrimination and xenophobic attacks of Nigerians by the government in China in its containment of the Corronavirus;
- House of Representatives will investigate the procurement and distribution of Personal Protective Equipment-PPE and other related expenditures in connection with the control of COVID-19; and
- House of Representatives set up an Ad-hoc Committee on COVID-19 chaired by Hon. Haruna Mshelia (Borno: APC).
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Click here to read the Speech delivered by the Speaker upon resumption
