THE high number of absentees in the House of Representatives is becoming a great worry for the House leadership.
The leadership of the lower chamber, on Thursday, cautioned members sponsoring bills or had reports to lay before it but were absent from plenary on days the items were listed on the Order Paper to change their ways.
Majority Leader of the House Alhassan Ado-Doguws raised the issue at the plenary when the House stepped down bills scheduled for second reading due to the absence of their sponsors. The lower chamber stepped down five out of the eight bills scheduled for second reading owing to the absence of their sponsors.
Ado-Doguwa said, “I rise with due respect and all sense of responsibility and obligation as leader of this very important House (to say) that rampant cases of bills being taken for second reading and eventually the members are not on the floor to take them up, I think, is of serious concern.
“Mr Speaker and honourable members, like I said, I rise as leader of this House, very respectfully, to urge my colleagues that you must always liaise with the chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business.
“Also, the chairman on Rules and Business while scheduling businesses of the day must also get in touch with relevant members so that bills are not put on schedules only for us to step them down because the member that is supposed to take them is not on the floor, especially a bill that is meant for second reading.”
He said the second reading of every bill was a fundamental stage of that bill, and the sponsor was expected to debate the general principle of that bill.
“It is the key step as far as the legislative process is concerned. So, I rise with all sense of humility to urge our members to please take it seriously and be more dutiful when the time comes for any bill to be taken for second reading,” he submitted.
Minority Leader Ndudi Elumelu noted that notices were usually sent to lawmakers, urging them to check their email boxes regularly.
The session was presided over by the Deputy Speaker Ahmed Wase.
A reporter with the ICIR
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