Speaker Abbas assures 10th Assembly legislative agenda will meet yearnings of Nigerians

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, at a stakeholders’ meeting organised by the House’ Ad Hoc Committee on Legislative Agenda in Abuja on Monday, assured that the Legislative Agenda of the 10th House is designed to meet the yearnings of Nigerians.

The Speaker disclosed the willingness of the House of Representatives to accommodate citizens’ participation in the Legislative agenda of the federal parliament towards meeting “the yearnings and aspirations of citizens and with which they would use as a benchmark to evaluate and assess our performance after four years.”

Speaker Abbas declared: “Our desire is to have a legislative agenda that meets the yearnings and aspirations of citizens and with which they would use as a benchmark to evaluate and assess our performance after four years. Therefore, today’s meeting should not be seen as the usual talk-shop. Consider it a critical national assignment.

“There is no better way to show that the 10th Houses of Representatives is ready to respond, and urgently too, to the yearnings of those who brought us to the people’s House to do the people’s business.”

He emphasised that the House, as representatives of the people, will regularly consult citizens in the discharge of the mandate given to the lawmakers.

According to the Speaker, “I equally promised that while it is the duty of the House to develop a Legislative Agenda for which our constituents will hold us accountable, the House would not hesitate to consult critical stakeholders in developing the agenda to elicit their input and areas of expectations, which is the reason we have gathered here this morning.”
He maintained that “it is only through such engagements that legislators will become, truly, the representatives of the people. To do otherwise, will amount to a democracy without the people.”

Speaker Abbas also emphasised that the House would priorotise participatory budgeting process and delivery, law reform, electoral reform, women’s participation and inclusion in governance, improved socio-economic conditions, entrepreneurship, employment, health and education, infrastructure, citizens-focused diplomacy, institutional capacity and citizens engagement, constitutional amendment and restructuring, among others, in the performance of their duties.

“Our engagement with citizens will go beyond today’s consultation. The ‘Open NASS’ project of the 10th House of Representatives requires regular consultations with the people as we strive to return the Legislature to those who own it through regular, meaningful, and productive engagements. It equally requires lawmakers to have functional constituency offices for regular interaction with our constituents,” he declared.

There are five key pillars in the Legislative Agenda, which include economic empowerment and diversification; infrastructure development; education and human capital development; healthcare for all; transparent governance and accountability; and economic empowerment and diversification.