… Abbas reads riot act to House committees

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has said the House would not tolerate unprofessional conduct from standing and ad-hoc committees that fail to discharge their responsibility.

Abbas stated this at the inauguration of the House Committee on Monitoring and Evaluation of Standing and Ad-hoc Committees.

He said with the establishment of the committee, the era of oversights, public hearings and investigative hearings without reporting back to the House was over.

According to him, the establishment of the Monitoring and Evaluation Committee is aimed at enhancing the effectiveness and accountability of the legislative process. He said with constant monitoring and evaluation of its committees, the House will ensure they align with the legislative agenda of the 10th House.

“With the establishment of this committee, let me declare that the era of conducting oversight, public hearings and investigative hearings without report for action is effectively over.

“The House will no longer tolerate unprofessional conducts from committees that fail to discharge their responsibilities. It is your duty as a committee to drive this process. I charge you to police our committees and make them function effectively and efficiently.

“This is very critical due to the fact that committees play a very crucial role in the functioning of legislative bodies as they are responsible for conducting most of the legislative activities and businesses.

“Their efficiency and effectiveness significantly impact the overall performance of a legislature, which, in turn, affects its ability to meet the obligations it has towards the people. To guarantee that committees function optimally, it is essential not only to provide them with adequate funding, appoint the right individuals to the committees, but very importantly, constantly monitor and evaluate their performance,” Abbas said.

The Committee Chairman, Obinna Aguocha, said the committee would monitor and evaluate the activities of all standing and ad-hoc committees and report back to the House on quarterly basis.