Reps Probe NGOs Over HIV/AIDS Funds

The House of Representatives yesterday mandated its Joint Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Control and Donor Agencies to investigate sources of funding of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) involved in HIV activities.

It also mandated them to ascertain the genuineness of the NGOs accessing funds for the control of the virus.

The committee is expected to report back to the House within 16 weeks.

This resolution was sequel to a motion moved by Rep. Joseph Kigbu (CPC-Nasarawa), the chairman, House Committee on HIV/AIDS which was unanimously adopted without debate.

Leading the debate, Kigbu noted that since the discovery of the virus 30 years back, a lot of resources had been committed to the fight against the pandemic.

Meanwhile, a bill for an Act to harmonise the retirement age for Academic staff of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education passed through second reading on the floor of the House.

The bill seeks to peg the retirement age for academic staff of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education at 65 years.

Similarly, a bill for an Act to further amend the Universities Act 1993 to increase the retirement age for academic staff in the professorial cadre and non-academic staff also passed second reading.

The bill basically seeks to amend the Universities Act No.11 of 1993 by limiting the tenure of principal officers to a single tenure of five years, increase the retirement age for academic staff in the professorial and non-academic staff from 60 years to 70 years respectively.

The bill for an Act to establish a contingencies fund passed through second reading.

It seeks to establish contingencies fund in line with Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

Section 8 states that ”the National Assembly may by law make provisions for the establishment of a contingencies fund for the federation and for authourising the President, if he is satisfied that there has arisen an urgent and unforeseen need for expenditure for which no other provision exists, to make advances from the fund to meet the need”.

Leading the debate, Rep. Leo Ogor (PDP-Delta), the Minority Leader of the House, said that when passed into law, it would enhance transparency in the administration of the fund.

He said that it was the responsibility of the National Assembly to make the law.

The lawmaker said that the account would ensure that no withdrawal from the federation account would be done with resources to the National Assembly.

Rep. Albert Sam-Sokwa (PDP-Taraba) said that the bill was overdue because the framers of the Nigerian Constitution knew that the unexpected would happen some day.

“We need the fund for emergency purposes, the President can access the fund before coming to the National Assembly for appropriation,” he said.