…as Speaker Abbas say 146 bills with Senate yet to get attention
By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives has stepped down “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Federal Orthopaedic Hospital Management Act, to Establish Federal Orthopaedic Hospital, Obokun, Osun State and for Related Matters” for concurrence from the Senate.
The bill which was for second reading, and introduced by the Leader of the House, Rep. Julius Ihonvbere, was received with mixed feelings when the Minority Leader, Rep. Kingsley Chinda was asked to second the move on Wednesday at plenary.
He said: “When bills come from the Senate for concurrence, we make sure that they progress, but we don’t get that same treatment. Mr. speaker having said so, I will reluctantly second the motion for the second reading of this bill, sir. I so second”.
But some lawmakers who had the same body language as the Minority Leader said the bill should be stepped down until an agreement is reached with the Senate in accordance with the House rule.
Speaking in support of the Minority Leader, member representing Andoni/Opobo Nkoro Federal Constituency of Rivers State, Rep. Awaji-Inombek Abiante said he has 4 bill in Senate waiting concurrence since 2024.
“Mr. speaker just to support what bother Minority Leader has said. I have two bills that have been in the Senate as Earl as 2024, and Mr. Speaker up until now, they have not been listed for concurrence. The same thing happened to my bills in the 9th Assembly, where throughout that Assembly Senate did not consider the bills that we have passed from the House emanating from me, sponsored by me.
“I do not know how we can continue with this kind of relationship, Mr Speaker. We’ll let it not look as if we are slowing down the progress of governance in this country.
“I would support today that we should step down the consideration of this bill, we should step it down, and probably you find out from them what the problems and the challenges have been. Why do they not consider bills coming from the House of Representatives, and if the reasons are not cogent enough, we should reciprocate. My submission, Mr. Speaker”.
Rep. Ahmed Jaha said: “I still maintain the position that the Senate doesn’t, in most cases, consider concurrence from the House of Representatives. I don’t know where the problem lies, but my suggestion is that the rules and business committee of the House should liase with the rules and business committee of the Senate and sign a deal”.
In response to Rep. Jaha, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas said, the committees on Rules and Business of Senate and House have done that severally in the past.
Jaha continued, “So it’s better we make it verbatim that if they don’t do our own in the next sitting, we are not going to do their own. Let there be tit for tat, because the House of Representatives is an institution that can not be compromised with the Senate and vice versa. So this is my position. If we step it down, it will send them a signal.
Speaker Abbas also lamented that over about 146 bills are awaiting concurrence from the senate, out of which 10 bills are sponsored by him.
He said: “From what the Clerk told me, we have 146 bills that are with the Senate and I as a person, I have more than 10 bills, some have been there for more than 6 months with no attention, we don’t know what is really happening”.
Rep. Satomi Ahmed said: “We should even now step down all their bills pending proper resolutions and also to work with our standing order that we should be guided by certain time and period that they must do the concurrence. If not we assume that it has been accepted and passed”.
The Speaker again put it to a voice vote and the lawmakers resolved to step down the bill.
“Since the majority and minority leaders were already taking position, it would be disrespectful for us to step it down, but let us just have a common ground on this issue that henceforth unless we receive reasonable assurance from the Senate concerning the concurrence of our bills we will not proceed further”, Abbas said.
Rep. Chinda in seconding said: “Mr Speaker if I am given the opportunity to review my position, you know that I will not want to support the second reading of this bill.
“For the bill, I will therefore ask that we should step it down and have a meeting with the leadership of the Senate to know how to resolve this issue”.
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