Dogara orders non-performing committees to stop work

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, on Wednesday ordered all committees yet to conclude their investigations to discontinue same forthwith.
‎The Speaker’s declaration was sequel to his warning last month that all ad hoc and standing committees yet to submit their reports must do so within one week or forfeit their mandates to the whole House.

At plenary, Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai, (PDP, Delta), in a point of order, cited Order 17 Rule 3 and Order 10 that the issue should be re-visited as it affects the tenets of the 8th Assembly’s Legislative Agenda.
‎He said: “Five weeks ago, Mr Speaker, you ordered that committees that had not submitted their reports in the last one year should submit their reports or forfeit their rights to such bills or probes
“Mr Speaker, five weeks after, nothing has happened and this runs contrary to the legislative agenda of this 8th House which you have been championing.
“These committees were mandated to submit their reports within 30 days according to our House Rules but six months and even one year after, they are yet to submit reports,” Ossai noted.

He explained that some of the bills and investigations were more than a year old, adding that “some are even two years old and we’ll be failing in our duties if nothing is done.”
The Speaker then called asked Chairman Rules and Business, Rep Orker Jev, (APC, Benue), to give a narrative to the House on his earlier directive.
Oker Jev, in his reaction, told the House that “we committee complied with the directive and letters were sent to all the affected committees but they complained of spending money to conduct public hearings so we gave them sometime.
‎”We gave them time because if we don’t, the House will be losing money and if you remember, I was the one that brought it to the knowledge of the House,”Jev said.

In his ruling, Dogara ordered that his directive be immediately effected.
Dogara had in October complained that a total of 162 committees’ investigative reports were yet to be laid before the House, several months after they were constituted.