Reps rush to sponsor bills following poor rating

Members of the House of Representatives are now rushing to sponsor bills following their poor rating in a recent assessment of their performance since their inauguration in June 2007.

About 10 members of the House, including its principal officers, are said to have, in the last one week, approached the committee on Rules and Business to have their proposed bills listed for consideration by the House.

NEXT and an Abuja-based newspaper had rated the lawmakers low in the last two years. Their ratings were based on the mid-term assessment report of the House, which said that only about 93 out of the 360 members of the House sponsored any bills since 2007.

The 41-page report, compiled by the committee on Rules and Business, showed that altogether the lawmakers sponsored 221 bills, out of the 271 introduced into the House, while 84 members sponsored motions. About 50 of the bills, including executive bills and those sent from the Senate for concurrence, were passed.

Those who sponsored the bills include House Leader, Tunde Akogun and Mayor Eze (PDP, Imo) with eight bills to their credit, Herman Hembe (PDP, Benue) and John Halims Agoda (PDP, Delta) came next with seven bills each. Kayode Amusan (PDP, Ogun), Uzoma Nkem-Abonta (PDP, Abia) and Fancy Arole (AC, Lagos) sponsored six bills each. Henry Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa), Oluwole Oke (PDP, Osun), Ita Enang (PDP, Akwa Ibom) and Etim Bassey sponsored five bills each.

Four bills each came from Darlington Okeke, Nkiruka Onjejiocha, Gbenga Makanjuola, Lanre Agoro, Samson Osagie, Cyril Maduabum; while three bills each were sponsored by Akinderu Fatai, Attai Aidoko, Femi Gbajabiamila and Abike Dabiri-Erewa. The remaining lawmakers brought one or two bills each.

Rattled by the media reports, the lawmakers were said to have rushed to the committee on Rules and Business to list their bills for consideration.

Raft of bills

Among those who wanted more bills listed in their favour are the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, his deputy, Usman Nafada and other principal officers.

Last week, two bills were listed against Mr. Bankole’s name and one against Mr. Nafada on the Order Paper.

The Speaker’s bill are titled: “National Arbitration Centre (Establishment) Bill, 2009 (HB 282),” and “National Arbitration Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2009 (HB.283),” both of which he is sponsoring with four others.

The bill listed against Mr. Nafada and four others is titled: “Nigerian Institute of Arbitrators and Conciliation (Establishment) Bill, 2009 (HB 284).” Chief Whip, Emeka Ihedioha is sponsoring a bill titled: “Institute of Mediators and Conciliators (Establishment) Bill, 2009, HB 286)” while another lawmaker, Bala Ibn Na’Allah (PDP Kebbi) is sponsoring Federal Arbitration and Conciliation Bill, 2009 (HB 285) with four others.

All the bills scaled through first reading during the plenary session last Thursday.

Before now, Mr. Bankole had sponsored only one bill in the last two years, namely the “National Office of Government Performance, Auditor and Accountability Bill, 2008.” Mr. Nafada and Mr. Ihedioha had never sponsored any bill in the past.

The House chairman of the committee on Rules and Business, Ita Enang, refused to be drawn into the issue. He, however, confirmed that more bills have been introduced into the House in the last few days.