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Senate inaugurates joint executive/legislative Committee to ease passage of bills

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan on Tuesday 3rd March, 2020 inaugurated a joint committee of the National Assembly and the Executive to ensure seamless passage of bills into law.
Lawan said the purpose of the committee is for the ninth National Assembly to do things differently with respect to law making and with the participation of the executive arm of government.
“We believe the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has given us joint responsibilities when law will be made for the good governance of our country.
“It is either a bill starts it’s journey from the executive side of government and comes to the Legislature before the assent or the legislature initiates the bill and of course the bill goes to the President for his assent.
“We have had some experiences that were not too good in the past when bills will be passed and of course, the executive would have some reasons not to assent to the bills.
“Or when bills would come from the executive arm of government and the Legislature will think otherwise. Maybe the gap was wide, the consultation was low and we believe we can do better when we encourage this kind of relationship and interaction,” Lawan said.
The Senate President said with this new arrangement, so much consultations between the Executive and the Legislature will precede the process of any Bill, be it an executive bill or private-member bill.
“We believe the interaction, the consultation will ensure that any possible grey areas in the bill that emanates from the executive will be addressed before the final form of that bill.
“The existence of this committee will not in any way take away that responsibility of the National Assembly to critically scrutinise anything that the Executive brings to the National Assembly.
“All we are trying to do is to ensure that we reduce the gap, that we create a platform for understanding, that we are able to pass laws much more easily and of course, make Nigeria a better place by so doing,” Lawan said.
Also speaking at the occasion, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila stated that the committee is “more or less a clearing house for bills whichever direction they are coming from whether from the National Assembly or from the Executive.”
“So it is not to say that every bill that comes on the floor of the House will be passed. Neither is it to say that every bill that comes from the National Assembly will be assented to.
“The idea of this committee is to make sure that incidence like that…will be the exception and not the rule unlike what happened in the past,” Gbajabiamila said.
The Justice minister said the setting up of the joint committee was to re-establish and re-enact the collective resolve of the Executive and the Legislature which is aimed at the development of the country.
“Ever since the coming in place of the ninth Assembly, the Executive and the National Assembly have agreed, in principle and in action, to work together towards doing things differently in terms of promoting the national interest, bringing about legislations that will advance the interest of the nation…and indeed bringing about legislations that will turn around the fortune of this great country of ours.
“The intention is in no way about compromises. The desire is to work together in collaboration, in harmony by way of bringing about cross fertilisation of ideas that will translate to national development and create bilateral responsibility to the nation.
“So it is within this context that we collectively agree that there is need for harmony. There is need for collaboration. There is need for cross fertilisation of ideas for the purpose of enhancing w collective agenda as it relates to putting the interest of the nation first above any individual and parochial interest,” Malami said.
Members of the committee are the Senate Leader and House of Representatives leader, Senior Special Advisers to the President(Senate and House of Representatives), Clerk of the National Assembly, Director, Drafting, Federal Ministry of Justice and Director, Legal Drafting, National Assembly.
Others are Special Assistants to the Senate President and Speaker, Representative of the Chief of staff to the President, Special Assistant to the President in Justice Reform and other relevant officials or technical partners that may be coopted as the need arises.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and some other Federal lawmakers and Justice minister, Abubakar Malami were at the inauguration of the committee.
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- Prince Abdulrahman Obaje is a Media and ICT Consultant, Journalist, online marketer, social media strategist, Mathematician and Computer Scientist based in Abuja, Nigeria. He is the Founder and the Publisher of The Informavores!. You can reach me on +234 805 939 5252 or send i-witness report directly to me on news@informavores.com.ng.
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HYPPDEC Donates Food Stuff, Clothing to Locals in Kogi to Tackle Cashless Policy Effect

By Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
The Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPDEC), on Tuesday, donated 400 bags of rice, 250 gallons of vegetable oil and some packaged women rappers to ten Local Government Areas in Kogi State under the agency to cushion the effect associated with the new cashless policy.
Making the presentation to Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State at the Lugard House, Lokoja on Tuesday, a Board Member of HYPPDEC, Alhaji Isah Ozi Salami, said that the gesture is part of the agency’s intervention in times of natural disaster or any hardship situation on citizens.
Salami expressed the commitment of HYPPDEC in tackling the prevailing economic hardship on Nigerians as a result of the Cashless Policy.
“We owe it as a duty to take adquate care of the people in the 10 Local Government Areas belonging to HYPPDEC communities in Kogi
“Our concern under the present economic hardship is to alleviate the sufferings of the people within HYPPDEC communities in Kogi” Ozi Salami told Governor Bello.
He commended Governor Yahaya Bello for the provision of logistic supports that have facilitated smooth operation of the agency in Kogi.
He also told the Governor that HYPPDEC will soon begin the construction of 50 housing units in Kogi for resettlement of last year’s flood victims in riverine communities.
“I appreciate Governor Bello’s magnanimity in providing land for the housing project. The Governor is expected to perform the foundation laying ceremony of the project” Ozi Salami disclosed.
The Chief of Staff to Governor Bello, Jamiu Asuku who received the food stuff on behalf of his boss, hinted that Kogi will key into HYPPDEC’s intervention initiative in the areas of provision of food and security of lives and property for citizens.
Governor Yahaya Bello appealed to HYPPDEC to focus more on Ibaji Local Government Area in its intervention programme as a result of the bad terrain of the area.
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FUL College of Health Sciences: FMC Lokoja Turns University Teaching Hospital
By Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
The Federal Medical Centre Lokoja, is now University Teaching Hospital for Federal University College of Sciences following the approval by President Mohammadu Buhari
The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Lokoja, Prof. Akinwumi Olayemi disclosed this at a joint press conference on the upgrade held at the Adankolo Campus of the University on Tuesday.
The Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre Lokoja, Dr. Olatunji Alabi who was in attendance at the joint press briefing, said that the FMC Lokoja had the infrastructure, manpower to serve as a Teaching Hospital.
According to the Vice Chancellor, the President in a letter of approval signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said: ” I am directed to refer to your letter dated 10th February on the upgrade and takeover of FMC Lokoja to a Federal Teaching Hospital, 2023. adsbygoogle || []).push({});
” I wish to convey the approval of President Mohammadu Buhari‘s approval for the upgrading of the Federal Medical Centre Lokoja to a Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja”.
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- Prince Abdulrahman Obaje is a Media and ICT Consultant, Journalist, online marketer, social media strategist, Mathematician and Computer Scientist based in Abuja, Nigeria. He is the Founder and the Publisher of The Informavores!. You can reach me on +234 805 939 5252 or send i-witness report directly to me on news@informavores.com.ng.
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Nigeria Labour Congress Seeks Cordial Relationship Wth Government

By Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
The National President of the apex Labour body in Nigeria, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comerade Joe Ajaero is seeking for cordial relationship between the Organised Labour and the three tiers of Governments all over the country.
Comerade Joe Ajaero, while commissioning the newly built Kogi NLC Secretariat under the leadership of Onu Johnson Edoka in Lokoja on Monday made the call .
The NLC Boss who was represented by the General Secretary of the union, Emmanuel Ogwaja, noted that peaceful relationship between the labour organisation and the government would no doubt entrench productivity of the national workforce.
Ajaero said that no “meaningful development can take place in an atmosphere of rancour and misunderstanding between labour and government. adsbygoogle || []).push({}); ”
He commended the unity amongst the various unions in the state, stressing that when workers unite, their struggles would not go in vein.
He further lauded the achievements of the NLC leadership in Kogi state, under Comerade Onu Johnson Edoka.
In his welcome address, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC) in Kogi State, Comrade Onuh Edoka disclosed that the project was soley executed through the union’s initiative and funding and no Government in power can seal it’s secretariat for whatever reasons.
According to him, numerous challenges were encountered during the building project, as the union got little support from stakeholders in the State.
“No government can come out and close this Secretariat if workers embark on strike. This Secretariat belongs to us. The Government offered little support in building of our Secretariat. We know what is happening in other states where NLC secretariat was built by the State Government, so we are careful that is why we went all out to source for fund to build NLC secretariat by ourselves with little support from Government”
Edoka, who will be handing over to a new Executive of NLC this week appreciated Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello for his support towards ensuring that NLC in Kogi State has their own Secretariat for over 30 years of their existence.
He, however, used the medium to also commend the Auditor General of Local Government, Alhaji Usman Ododo for his support in the completion of the Secretariat.
Edoka appealed to Kogi Workers to always support NLC towards achieving their goal in the State.
Author Profile

- Prince Abdulrahman Obaje is a Media and ICT Consultant, Journalist, online marketer, social media strategist, Mathematician and Computer Scientist based in Abuja, Nigeria. He is the Founder and the Publisher of The Informavores!. You can reach me on +234 805 939 5252 or send i-witness report directly to me on news@informavores.com.ng.
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