Reps propose alternating roles for Senate president, speaker at joint sessions

The House of Representatives has passed a resolution seeking the restructuring of joint sittings of the National Assembly to alternate roles between the Senate president and the speaker, aiming for parity between the two chambers.

The lawmakers propose that at joint sessions, such as budget presentations, the speaker could open the session while the Senate president delivers closing remarks, and vice versa. Currently, the Senate president presides over the entire session.

This resolution follows the adoption of the report of an ad hoc committee on discrimination in National Honours Awards between the two chambers. The report was presented by House Leader, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere.

A key issue raised was the recent controversy over the award of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, while Speaker Abbas Tajudeen was initially awarded the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR). However, President Bola Tinubu later granted the GCON honour to the speaker as well.

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The house commended Tinubu for extending the GCON to the speaker but stressed that this recognition should also be given to the deputy speaker, the deputy Senate president, and other key officers to ensure equality within the National Assembly.

Additionally, the house urged that former presiding officers and principal officers of both chambers should receive similar honours for their service.

The house also criticised the public perception that portrays the Senate as superior to the House of Representatives, calling for a narrative shift. It recommended avoiding terms such as “Upper Chamber” and “Lower Chamber” and proposed abolishing the title “Chairman of the National Assembly,” which implies a hierarchy between the two houses.

Lastly, the house called for the establishment of a National Assembly Service Award, similar to the US Congressional Gold Award, to recognise excellence within the legislative body. It also proposed a review of the National Honours Act to reflect current political realities.