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•Amends standing orders to accommodate new committees
From Fred Itua, Abuja
Disturbed by purported plans to impeach president of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio-led Upper Legislative Chamber, yesterday, amended its Standing Rules to bar first time lawmakers from contesting the position of the president of the Senate and the deputy president.
With the new law, first time senators like Abdulaziz Yari, Gbenga Daniel and Abubakar Sani Bello, all members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), have been barred from challenging Akpabio by the new Senate rules. Former members of the House of Representatives who have not spent up to four years in the Senate are also ineligible to contest or challenge Akpabio.
However, the new Senate rules appear to be in breach of the 1999 Constitution in its Section 50(1).
It simply provides that “there shall be a president and a deputy president of the Senate, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves.”
Yari, on account of being a former member of the House of Representatives during the sixth National Assembly, used his ranking status to contest against Akpabio for the position of the Senate president which he lost. But the Senate, yesterday, effected a blockade against such a contest in subsequent elections to produce presiding officers.
The new law makes first timers in the Senate ineligible for the positions of president and deputy president, regardless of previous legislative experience in the House of Representatives or state Houses of Assembly.
Specifically, the amendment which falls under Rule 3 Sub 2 , 1, 2 3 and 4, states: “A senator vying for the office of president of the Senate or deputy president of the Senate, must have at least served in the Senate once.”
Other amendments made in the standing rules as differently put in motion by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, and seconded by the Minority Leader, Simon Mwadkwon, are for reflection of functions and jurisdictions of new standing committees.
The Senate had, on August 7, increased its standing committees from 63 to 74. However, none of the committees is yet to be inaugurated in line with laid down procedures and practices.
As shown in its motion, the Senate created the Committee on Atomic and Nuclear Energy, which would oversee the Nigeria Nuclear Energy Regulatory Commission, Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission and their annual budget estimates. It also split the Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) into two different standing committees, namely the Committee on FCT and Committee on FCT Area Councils.
The Senate resolved that the Committee on FCT would oversee matters affecting the FCT, planning and development of the new Federal Capital Territory and control of development within the FCT and its annual budget.
The Upper Chamber further resolved that the Committee on FCT Area Councils would oversee Area Council Mandate, Area Council Service Commission, Area Council Staff Pension Board, auditor general for the Area Council and other agencies or departments under FCT.
The Senate similarly divided the Committee on Sports into two standing committees to now reflect the Committee on Sports Development as well as Committee on Youth and Community Engagements.
According to the Senate, the jurisdiction of the Committee on Sports Development shall include Federal Ministry of Sport Development, National Lottery Commission, National Institute for Sports, Nigeria Football Federation, Sport Arena Development, national and international sporting activities, sports administration and annual budget estimates.
The Senate further said the jurisdiction of the Committee on Youth and Community engagements should include Federal Ministry of Youth Development, National Youth Service Corps, Citizens and Leadership Training Centre, Offices of the Senior Assistant to the President on Community Engagement in the six geo-political zones, youths movements activities and associations and its annual budget estimates.
The Senate also divided the Committee on Solid Minerals, Steel Development and Metallurgy into the Committee on Solid Mineral Development and the Committee on Mines and Steel Development.
The Senate said the Committee on Solid Mineral Development “shall oversee Federal Ministry of Solid Mineral Development, Nigerian Geological Survey Agency, Mining Cadastre Office and Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientist, Nigerian Metallurgical Training Institute, Solid Minerals Development Fund, Nigeria Institute of Mining and Geoscience, National Metallurgical Development Centre, exploration of minerals extraction and quarry, geological survey and minerals investigation as well as explosives.
“The Committee on Mines and Steel Development shall oversee the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Aluminium Smelting Company of Nigeria, Ajaokuta Steel Development Company, National Iron Ore Mining Company, National Steel Raw Material Exploration Agency and their budgets.”
