Politics
Bill On Transition Procedure Passes 2nd Reading
A Bill for an Act to provide for the procedure and ceremony for transition and assumption of office for the President and Vice President- elect passed second reading at the House of Representatives, yesterday.
Rep. Kpam Sokpo (PDP-Benue), who sponsored the bill, said it was aimed at ensuring smooth transition from one administration to another.
He added that the bill would help to facilitate smooth handover between outgoing President and Vice President to the incoming President and Vice President.
Rep. Tobi Okechwukwu, the Deputy Minority Leader, while contributing, said the bill would tackle lack of precision on transition programme.
He said that the transition period was a time when cabinet members that would form the new government must have been selected to keep the country on the move.
He said that the period of transition should have afforded the President-elect to do some research that would help in the smooth running of the new administration.
The deputy minority leader stressed that the transition period should not be a time for watching the body language of the President on the direction of his administration.
“This bill is important, because we lost about six months in 2015 because the cabinet of the President was not constituted and the same thing happened in 2019.
“This should be a country of rules and law and the law must be seen to have been obeyed,” he said.
He said that the situation was the same at the state level, where state governors after winning election for six months failed to constitute their cabinets.
The lawmakers, thereafter voted unanimously in favour of the bill scaling second reading.
Similarly, a bill for an Act to repeal the Fire Service Act 2004 and enact the Fire and Emergency Service Act 2021 has passed second reading in the House of Representatives.
This bill which sought to introduce stricter penalties for violation of building codes, fire regulations and other related matters was sponsored by Rep. Adejoro Adeogun (APC-Ondo) .
Leading the debate at plenary yesterday, Adeogun said the bill also seeks to provide the agency with additional powers for effective service delivery and for other related matters.
The lawmaker said that the bill also sought the expansion of responsibilities of the service to meet international best practices and the growing demands of citizens.
He recalled that the Fire Service Act (1963) saddled the service with the responsibility of mitigating fire disasters and combating fire emergencies.
According to him, this narrow scope of responsibility precludes non fire disasters such as flooding, building collapse, air and road accidents.
The lawmaker said that other natural disasters that might or might not be accompanied by fire but emergency rescue was required.
“This bill addresses this gap by expanding the scope of responsibilities of the fire service to include fire and non-fire related emergencies such as flooding, building collapse, construction site accidents, mining collapse and related land, sea and air accidents.
“This bill also seeks to introduce stricter penalties for violation of building codes, fire regulations, impersonation of fire service personnel and unlawful disclosure of privileged information obtained in the course of emergencies,’’ he said.
Adeogun who represents Akoko South East/South West Federal Constituency of Ondo State said the aim was to prevent and mitigate all fire disasters as well as other accidents.
He said the bill would encourage investment in fire and emergency equipment by states, local g areas and corporate organisations to improve response to emergencies.
The legislator said he bill would empower the fire and emergency service chief to mobilise resources for the training, equipping and deployment of fire and emergency personnel for prompt response to emergencies.
The rep said that the bill provided for the establishment of a Fire and Emergency Service Reward Fund to reward fire and emergency fire officers.
“The major achievements of this amendment bill if passed, will be to build the capacity of the fire and emergency service to respond to disasters with greater synergy and efficiency.
“It will also elevate the fire and emergency service from the back-end to the frontline of disaster management.
“The bill will also open new frontiers for the creation of jobs through engagement of able bodied youths into the fire and emergency service,’’ he said.
Adeogun said that Nigeria had in the past, lost lives and billion dollar assets to fire, flood and similar disasters.
He said the bill hoped to lay the foundation for mitigating of future disasters and saving the nation from avoidable loss of lives and resources.
The parliamentarian urged his colleagues to support the bill to go through second reading and its eventual passage into law.
In his ruling, the Deputy Speaker of the house, Rep. Ahmed Wase (APC-Plateau) referred the bill to relevant committees of the house for further legislative actions.
The Tide source reports that Prof. Akinoso was elected alongside 38 other executive members of the party at the congress held on Saturday.
Other executive members are Dr Abiola Olaonipekun, who emerged as Secretary, Alhaja Latifah Latifu, Women Leader and Mr A. Adeleke, elected as Youth Leader.
It was learnt that the congress, which took place at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Oke Ado in Ibadan, was attended by representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Police, other security agencies and prominent members of the party.
The election was supervised by electoral committee members, among whom were Prince Diran Odeyemi, who served as Chairman, Hon. Awoniyi Tolulope, Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi, Queen Stepheine Oyechere, Alhaji Yusuf Abidakun, Mr Olumide Aguda and Dr Phillips Adeniyi, who served as Secretary.
Prof. Akinoso, in his inaugural address, urged members of the party to set aside intra-party differences.
He advised them to concentrate their resources on the promotion of the party, saying, “The primary responsibilities of party executive members are to coordinate party activities, ensure harmony among members, and ensure party victory during general elections.
“Our immediate assignments are to key into INEC released 2027 general election time-tables. As directed by the National Caretaker Committee of PDP, our party e-membership registration starts next week. We must be fully involved and do a membership drive.
“A political party is only relevant and benefits its members if it wins the election. This is our goal. We should set aside intra-party differences; concentrate our resources towards the promotion of the party. We will make necessary consultations and dialogue to actualise this”.
President Tinubu disclosed this during an interfaith breaking of fast with senior journalists and media executives at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Saturday.
He also disclosed that his administration had opened up on the principles of true federalism to the extent that local governments now get direct allocation from the Federal Government.
“There’s no morning that I ever leave my house without going through the newspapers. It’s an addiction. I read all of you.
“It might not be in full detail, but headline, the one that would hit me and the ones that won’t.
“At the beginning of this administration, I was just a little bit stubborn, looking at opportunities to correct things and make life more easier for the downtrodden.
“We’ve opened up the principle of federalism to the extent that local governments are now getting their money, but how they use it is in your hands. So, don’t bombard me alone,” President Tinubu said.
The ruling party said the ADC had turned criticism of the APC-led administration into its operating manifesto instead of presenting concrete solutions to Nigeria’s economic challenges.
In a statement issued on Saturday by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mr Felix Morka, the party dismissed the ADC’s interpretation of a report presented at a policy dialogue organised by Agora Policy which suggested that the country’s poverty rate had risen from 49 per cent to 63 per cent.
Mr Morka said the opposition party’s reaction to the report as a “damning verdict” on the government’s economic policies reflected either ignorance of economic realities or deliberate political mischief.
“The African Democratic Congress’ attempt to spin a recent report presented at the Agora Policy dialogue indicating a rise of poverty rate of 63 per cent from 49 per cent as a damning verdict on this administration’s economic policies speaks either to its shocking ignorance of economic policy or its wilful blindness to the justification for, and transformative impacts of, ongoing economic reforms,” he said.
The APC spokesman noted that the report itself recognised the necessity of reforms aimed at correcting long-standing structural distortions in the economy.
According to him, the ADC had failed to present any credible alternative policy direction for Nigerians.
“Clearly, the ADC does not recognise itself as a political party. The ADC has not articulated a single alternative policy position or prescription of benefit to Nigerians. Condemning the APC and its policies has become its operating manifesto,” Mr Morka said.
He explained that major economic decisions taken by President Bola Tinubu, including the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of multiple foreign exchange windows, were necessary steps to rescue the country’s economy from collapse.
Mr Morka said the subsidy regime had for years placed a heavy burden on public finances, consuming trillions of naira annually while encouraging corruption, fuel smuggling and inefficiencies in the system.
He added that the reforms had helped redirect national resources to key sectors such as infrastructure, healthcare, education and social development.
The APC spokesman acknowledged that economic reforms often come with short-term hardship but stressed that the measures were essential to build a stronger and more resilient economy.
“Economic reform is never cost-free anywhere in the world. The transient hardship experienced by Nigerians was an inevitable cost of reforms meant to build and guarantee a better future for all Nigerians,” he said.
Mr Morka maintained that the country’s economic outlook was already improving, citing recent growth figures and stronger external reserves.
“Our economy has rebounded and is expanding steadily. The country’s Gross Domestic Product grew by 4.4 per cent last year and is projected to expand by 5.5 per cent this fiscal year, with foreign reserves now exceeding $50 billion,” he stated.
He also pointed to government initiatives designed to cushion the effects of economic adjustments on citizens, including cash transfer programmes, student loan schemes and the rollout of compressed natural gas (CNG) initiatives to reduce transportation costs.
Mr Morka reaffirmed that the APC-led administration would remain focused on rebuilding the economy and expanding social investments to support vulnerable Nigerians.
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