By Abdullateef Salau, Itodo Daniel Sule & Balarabe Alkassim
The National Assembly will, today, resume from its two-month annual recess, with the lawmakers expected to discuss burning issues affecting the nation.
Before the break, the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill and the much-talked-about Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) were passed amid rancour and sharp divisions among the lawmakers.
While lawmakers from the oil-rich Niger Delta region vehemently rejected the 3 per cent equity share during the passage of PIB, electronic transmission of election results pitched the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators against their colleagues in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) while passing the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill.
During the break, the country witnessed serious security breaches. Killings, abductions, cholera outbreak with hundreds of casualties, among others ravaged the country. The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna was not spared by the marauders.
Though the legislators had debated the country’s acute insecurity on several occasions, the issue is expected to be on the front burner when they convene because of the high rate of criminalities across the country.
Another issue that will top the agenda is the amendment of the 1999 Constitution. The two committees working on the review in the two chambers had conducted public hearings across the country to get inputs from Nigerians.
Calls for a new constitution, state creation, among others featured prominently in the review exercise.
As the lawmakers’ debate and vote on different thematic areas, Nigerians are waiting with keen interest whether or not the current constitution review exercise will not end up a jamboree and same tradition of initiating constitutional amendments every four years with little or no meaningful impact on their lives.
Another major legislative business the lawmakers would take on upon resumption is consideration of the report on the 2022-2024 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF)/Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).
Another issue that will take precedence when the legislators convene is the 2022 budget, expected to be presented by President Muhammadu Buhari to the joint session of the National Assembly this month as required by the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007.
The Budget Office of the Federation, in a circular signed by its Director-General, Ben Akabueze, had directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government to submit their 2022 budget proposals before September 5.
Speaking on their agenda, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Rules and Business, Abubakar Hassan Fulata (APC, Jigawa), said topmost on their agenda is the 2022 budget proposal.
