NEWSHouse Goes On Annual Recess, Set To Unveil Committee Chairs, Deputies

The House of Representatives will this week, precisely Thursday, embark on the traditional parliament’s two- month vacation

Before it proceeds, after the week’s plenary session , it will announce new standing committees and their various chairmen and deputies

Recall that most of the legislative works in the House recently have been carried out by ad-hoc committees. A development which is not too healthy , given the constitutional roles and duties of oversight bestowed on standing committees and the limits to which ad-hoc committees can stretch without being in breach of constitutional provisions. In addition, there are numerous resolutions from motions of urgent public importance that bother on the economy, roads, security and general well being of Nigerians that have been passed and referred to standing committees when constituted, that requires urgent committee attention

Similarly, the House of Representatives new committees will also be announced expectedly, side – by side the cabinet list of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu which is also expected to be unveiled from today by the Senate, so as to gauge the number of Ministers and ministries, departments and agencies the National Assembly committees will oversight. A similar development is expected of the Senate , to announce its new committees and their heads, while it stays back to screen the new ministers

Although it not in the House or Senate rule books to announce new committees and their heads on the last sitting day ahead of the long vacation, it has become the norm, because the long recess period helps to douse tension and allows enough time for amicable resolutions and settlement of those whose hopes were dashed ,or expectations of becoming chairmen or deputies , or heads of ‘juicy’ committees were not met

While the vacation is expected to also allow the lawmakers take enough rest ahead of the legislative challenges, it will avail them adequate time to familiarise with their constituents and the way to go when they resume towards the end of the year to design and begin to implement the 10th House legislative agenda as well as pass and consider their first Appropriation law, the 2024 budget

Expectedly, the leadership will also be on the watchout for dissident lawmakers who may not be favoured with committee positions and may want to impeach the leadership.