BENUE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY NOT A RUBBER STAMP- House

BENUE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY NOT A RUBBER STAMP- House 

By Jiji Jack

Benue State House of Assembly has debunked the public perception of the 10th Assembly as a rubber stamp of the Executive in the state.

The Assembly made her position known over the speculation today, 11th June, 2024 in Makurdi at the assembly conference hall, during a Press conference to mark the one year anniversary of the 10th Assembly.

Speaking on behalf of the house, the Majority Leader of the house and member representing Mbagwen State Constituency, Hon. Saater Tiseer said, the lawmakers of the 10th assembly in Benue are performing their duties independently, as well as checkmating the Executive as supposed but the public perception against the house is because they ( assembly) provide a safe atmosphere for development by cooperating with efforts of the Executive.

Explaining further, the majority leader said, the house received her full autonomy and its operating independently as an arm of Government and constitutionally equal to other two arms of Government. He added that their people are heavily represented.

Earlier in his address on the journey so far of the tenth Assembly on behalf of the house, the Chairman House Standing Committee on information, Hon. Elias Terkumbur had this to say as recaptured bellow"

"TEXT OF A PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY THE CHAIRMAN,

HOUSE STANDING COMMITTEE ON INFORMATION, HON. ELIAS TERKUMBUR AUDU, ON THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE TENTH BENUE STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY

My Dear Gentlemen of the Press,

You will all recall that the Tenth Assembly was inaugurated on Monday, 5th June, 2023, after a Proclamation Order by the Executive Governor of Benue State, His Excellency, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia. Following the Proclamation Order, the first major assignment for us was the election of Hon. Aondona Dajoh and Hon. Mrs. Lami Danladi as Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively.

Few days later, the Assembly also announced party positions in the House, thereby marking the full constitution of the Leadership of the House preparatory for the full take off of the Tenth Benue Legislative arm of government. In view of the fact that Committees are the engine room of every Legislative body, the Leadership of the House in consultation with Honourable Members also constituted House Standing Committees, thereby activating a very important aspect of our Constitutional guaranteed powers which is the power of Oversight.

In all of these activities, I am happy to note that the House employed democratic skills to achieve results without rancor.

Gentlemen of the Press, a few days ago the Tenth Benue Assembly clocked One Year of Legislative activities and it is with a sense of responsibility that I address you today on our performances in the First Legislative Session. 

In our First Legislative Session, the House recorded some modest achievements which are worthy of note. The House received Twenty-Seven (27) Bills, passed Eighteen (18), Six (6) of the Bills are in Committees while three (3) are pending. The House also received Twenty (20) Reports, out of which Seventeen (17) of them have been conclusively debated. 

Similarly, the House received and deliberated on Fifty-Two (52) substantive motions and adopted Ninety Five (95) major Resolutions during the period. The House received Nine (9) major Executive Communications including request to confirm Seventeen (17) nominees as Commissioners in the State Executive Council, Twenty-Three (23) nominees for appointment as Chairmen, Local Government Caretaker Committees and to approve the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) (2024 – 2026).

To set in motion the machinery of Government in such a manner that Government business would commence without delay, the House expeditiously screened and approved Mr. Governor's Commissioner nominees and that of Special Advisers to enable His Excellency, the Governor to constitute a formidable State Executive Council to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of Benue State. 

In the same vein, the House screened and confirmed the Chairman and members of the State Independent Electoral Commission to set the stage for the conduct of Local Government Elections and give impetus to the autonomy of the third tier of Government in Benue State. 

Gentlemen of the Press, it is instructive to note that in the conduct of our Constitutional responsibilities as an Assembly, we are very much aware of what is expected of us either as Lawmakers and as the representatives of our various Constituencies. This is why the House has been very thorough in scrutinizing those that are nominated for appointments by the Governor.

Where there are no issues with such nominations, we allow them to pass but in instance where there are issues with such a nomination, the House has stood it's grounds in ensuring that the right thing is done. The case of Dr. Vincent Gisaor, who was nominated to be screened as Secretary designate of the State Independent Electoral Commission, is a case in point. The House denied him confirmation at first to prove to Benue people that we are not only independent but also that people should be held accountable for their actions and inactions.

At this juncture, let me throw more light on our successes in the area of law-making, which is our primary responsibility as a House. Apart from painstakingly screening and having heads of MDAs to defend their budgetary estimates, the 2024 Financing and Appropriation Bills, which are the foundation of government financing, were passed before the December, 31st, 2023, deadline despite its late submission to the House by the Executive. This is a mark of our commitment and support for the Executive Arm of Government to succeed. 

Some of the landmark legislation passed by the House include, A Bill for A Law to Prohibit Harassment and Extortion of Money from Investors, Developers and Businessmen  in Benue State (Popularly called Marching Ground) and for Purposes Connected Therewith, 2023, A Bill for A Law to Provide for the Retirement Age and Enhanced Renumeration of Magistrates and Legal Officers in the Ministry of Justice and  for Purposes Connected Therewith, 2024, A Bill for a Law to Repeal the Maintenance of Former Elected Governors of Benue State and Their Deputies Law, 2023; The Benue State Civil Protection Guards (Establishment) Bill, 2024 and The Benue State Youth Development Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2024. 

The repeal of the Maintenance of Former Elected Governors and their Deputies Law became necessary to ease the huge burden it placed on the lean resources of our State. This was done in the over all interest of our dear State and it has nothing to do with seeking vendetta or trying to get at anybody in particular. 

It is imperative to  mention here that the Civil Protection Guards Establishment Bill is a Legislative intervention to end the incessant killings and mindless displacement of our people from their ancestral homes by marauding herdsmen and the general  insecurity in parts of the State so that our farmers can go back to work and produce enough crops to feed the State as well as improve their socio-economic conditions. As a way of halting the negative trend of harassment and extortion of money from Land Developers in the State by some unscrupulous youths, the Bill to criminalize "Marching Ground" has become more relevant now than ever before.

The passage of the Bill for a Law to establish the Benue State Youth Development Commission on the other hand is in recognition of the importance of youths in our society and the need to mainstream their issues in governance as a panacea to provide a platform by which their interest will be projected and promoted through trainings, credit facilities and gainful employments.

The objectives of the Commission when established will end youth restiveness and help to achieve the Governor Alia-led administration’s dreams of resourceful youth population and a peaceful Benue. 

Other very critical bills that are at the last stage of passage include, the Bill for A Law to Make Provision for the Establishment of the Benue State Drug and Health Commodities Management Agency and the Bill for A Law to Provide Free Snake Bite Treatment in Government Hospitals.

 While the Drug and Health Commodities Management Agency Bill when passed and assented by the Governor will be a game changer as it will provide the avenue for Donor Agencies and other Development Partners to assist the State in the provision of affordable drugs to our people, the Bill for Free Snake Bite Treatment will make it mandatory for government medical facilities to treat victims of Snake bite free of charge.

These are bills that are targeted at improving the living standards of our people especially those in rural areas.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, as representatives of the people, One issue that has bothered us so much in our First Legislative Session is the issue of insecurity. That is why no fewer than Twelve out of all the Motions moved and debated on the Floor of the Assembly were Motions to draw attention of the Executive Arm of Government and other security agencies to the security challenges within and around Benue State.

Let me place on record that, the leadership of the Benue State House of Assembly under Hon. Aondona Dajoh, has intervened in communal crises with the view to bringing lasting peace in the affected areas. A case in point was when the Speaker led Members of the House to wade into the crisis between Mbasombo and Shough Council Wards all of Gwer-East Local Government.

Closely related is the motion to give conditional acceptance to the Federal Government Proposed Resettlement Homes for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Benue State. The import of this motion was to prevent foreigners from highjacking the resettlement homes at the expense of the indigenous people.

Gentlemen of the Press, one area that this Assembly has done very well is in the area of sponsorship of Private Member Bills. Out of the Twenty Seven Bills that are before the House, about Seven of them were initiated and sponsored by Members as their personal efforts towards putting in place legal frameworks to fill perceived legal lacunae.

Recall that immediately the Tenth Assembly was inaugurated, the Governor graciously commenced the total renovation of the Assembly Complex which is aimed at providing  conducive working environment for the Speaker, Principal Officers, Members and Staff of the Assembly. It is however regrettable that in our First Legislative Session, we have been compelled to function without offices, while our plenary sittings are been conducted in Government House.

When you look at our major challenge of not having offices in the last one year vis- a- vis what we have been able to achieve, you will have no choice but  to agree with me that the Tenth Benue State House of Assembly under the leadership of the Speaker, Hon. Aondona Dajoh, has not disappointed the people of the State.

As we look forward to the commencement of the First Sitting of the Second Legislative Session, we appeal to His Excellency, Governor Hyacinth Alia to ensure the quick completion of the renovation work at the Assembly Complex to give us the conducive office accommodation that will enable us to perform our duties seamlessly.

Gentlemen of the Press, on behalf of the Tenth Benue State House of Assembly, I want to use this opportunity to thank you so much for the cooperation you have extended to the Assembly in the last One Year. We look forward to a better working relationship as we continue in the service to our dear State.

Thank you all for your attention."