The Speaker of the House, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila presided.
After leading the opening prayer and the National Pledge, the Speaker approved the votes and proceedings of Tuesday, January 31, 2023.
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REMARKS BY THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, REP. FEMI GBAJABIAMILA AT THE RESUMPTION OF PLENARY AFTER THE 2023 PRESIDENTIAL AND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS.
TUESDAY, 28TH FEBRUARY 2023
Good morning and welcome back to the House of Representatives. I am glad to see you all today, and I thank you for being here this morning.
Our country has just been through a hotly contested general election. as we gather here this morning, the election results are still being collated and announced. We expect shortly to be informed who will be the next president of our republic and the people who will represent Nigerians in the 10th assembly. Elections in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-party democracy too often devolve into faultlines, generating abundant conflict and controversy. The test of an advanced democracy is the ability to manage grievances and settle disagreements without causing fatal damage to the body polity.
The constitution of our republic and the Electoral Act that governs elections in Nigeria both define a framework of post-election dispute resolution and adjudication. This framework exists to protect the integrity of our elections. It ensures that when elections fail to meet expectations, contested issues of facts and law can be resolved through due process within a legal framework befitting a constitutional democracy. It is not in the interests of our country, now or ever, to advocate for or embrace extralegal interventions to resolve electoral disputes and address grievances.
We must avoid actions or utterances that set the stage for interventions that could be fatal to our democracy and the gains we have made over the last two decades. This is the time, despite whatever disappointments we may each feel, to reject considerations of partisan and other interests to come together and make sure first that our country survives and our imperfect democracy continues its march towards progress and a more perfect union.
This is the time for political, social, religious and economic leaders across the nation to work steadfastly together toward the ends of law and due process. I am confident we will rise above the worst expectations others may have of us in this defining this moment. We will resist malign actors seeking to exploit this moment of tension for their own ends. We will defeat the cynicism of those waiting to see their worst predictions for our country become real. Nigeria will be at peace because we will work through the law and due process to resolve differences, settle disputes and ensure the peaceful transition of power.
In the meantime, the work of governance continues here in the House of Representatives even as we count down to the end of our term in the 9th assembly. We will also begin to prepare transition notes at the Committee levels, as earlier proposed, as part of our reforms to build institutional memory and ensure continuity in governance. And we will continue reviewing legislative actions, interventions, successes and failures relating to the implementation of the 9th House of Representatives legislative agenda, which we began in January. As I said then, this is the basis of our report card to the Nigerian people at the end of our term. But just as importantly, it will allow us to better understand where we succeeded and where we didn’t as a guide for the future.
Honourable colleagues, I welcome you to the House of Representatives. And I thank you most sincerely for your presence here this morning.
God bless you all, and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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PRESENTATION OF BILLS
1. National Food Safety Bill, 2023 (HB.2176) (Senate) – First Reading.
2. Council for Christians Education (Establishment) Bill, 2023 (HB.2177) (Hon. Rimamnde Shwawulu
Kwewum and 4 Others) – First Reading.
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ORDERS OF THE DAY
BILLS
1. Consolidation of Bills:
Rep. Nnoli Nnaji moved that (a) A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to confer additional Responsibility of the power to grant and revoke licenses for the cultivation of Cannabis (or any of its three species namely Cannabis Sativa, Cannabis Indicia and Cannabis Ruderalis) Plant for Medicinal Purpose; and for Related Matters (HB. 1190) (Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu); and
(b) A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap. N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004; and for Related Matters (HB. 1918) (Hon. Olumide Babatunde Osoba). Rep. Mohahammed Abdulmumin seconded.
Bills consolidated and Committee on Rules and Business to schedule for commencement of debate on the Bill.
2. A Bill for an Act to Establish Federal Medical Centre, Kubau, Kaduna State to be Responsible for providing all kinds of Healthcare Services to all Nigerians; and for Related Matters (HB.1877) (Hon. Hamisu Ibrahim) – Second Reading.
Bill stepped down by the leave of the House.
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Adjournment:
The House adjourned plenary to Wednesday, March 1st, 2023 by 11:00 following a motion for adjournment moved by Rep. Maki Yallerman and seconded by Rep. Wole Oke.
Courtesy:
Media Unit, Office of the Speaker, House of Representatives.
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