House of Rep complements Yar'Adua's vision
By Christopher Tom, Uyo
A four-day retreat by the House of Representatives has opened with a commitment by the Federal House to fully complement the overall vision of President Musa Yar'Adua to make Nigeria the dominant economy in Africa and one of the 20 leading world economies by the year 2020.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole stated the commitment while making his speech at the opening ceremony of the retreat holding at the Le'Meridien Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort in Uyo.
He said the Assembly was determined “to work in the patriotic service of the Nigerian people, particularly the down-trodden,” saying this informed the need for the Assembly to constantly re-assess its efforts and strategies in line with set targets.
Noting that the House of Representatives had, “through enabling legislation, supported the noble objectives as outlined in the Millennium Development Goals, the 7-Point Agenda, and the Vision 20:2020”, he emphasized the need to situate and strengthen capacity “to ensure full implementation and effective realization of these goals.”
The retreat, holding simultaneously in Uyo and Kano has as its theme, “Budget Tracking: The Use of Software and Hardware in Monitoring & Implementation”.
Mr. Bankole said the retreat was proactive and intended to provide members of the House the opportunity to reflect on their work.
The Speaker stressed the need to develop tools to ensure that annual budgets in the country are fully implemented, suggesting that in the consideration of budgets, clauses should be properly worded to ensure that the Executive uses appropriated funds for specific purposes or face the risk of sanctions.
While expressing his appreciation to Governor Akpabio for his relentless support for the National Assembly, he expressed the hope that the retreat would go a long way in complementing the resolve of all members of the Assembly to make a success not just of the 2009 budget, but also of subsequent ones.
On his part, the Akwa Ibom State, Chief Godswill Akpabio, represented by his Deputy, Engr. Patrick Ekpotu, expressed confidence in the House of representatives to take the country out of its difficulties through sound and workable laws.
Chief Akpabio however advised against the adoption of foreign policies without considering the culture and norms of the Nigerian society.
He expressed the belief that the retreat would sharpen the knowledge of the legislators and properly equip them for their law-making and oversight functions while pledging the continued support of his administration for the good of the country.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Ghali Umar Na'Abba and former Speaker of the House of representatives, Represented by Chief Joe Agi, described budget tracking as very sensitive and crucial element in the effective implementation of government policies and programmes.
He emphasised the need for law makers not to fail, as, according to him, they “owe the people a responsibility to God and the people through the making of good laws for the country.”
