ASUU strike: Reps wades into crisis after recess, says Nwawuba

The Chairman House of Representatives Committee on legislative Agenda, Mr Henry Nwawuba has assured that he, alongside his colleagues would explore avenues aimed at addressing the lingering strike action embarked upon by the Academic staff union of universities (ASUU).

Speaking on the 9th Assembly: Role of the media on attainment of legislative agenda during a capacity workshop for House of Representatives Press corps yesterday in Abuja, he remarked that the House would not fold its arm and allow the situation to degenerate beyond redemption.

He justified the move to wade into the issue saying it was in line with the premium placed on education by the legislative agenda of the Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila led House of Representatives.

Said he: “If anybody told me we would be in the situation we are today with ASUU strike, just the same way we didn’t see COVID-19 coming and even the insecurity that we have in Nigeria today, it’s difficult to believe it.

“We are aware that we are stretched as a committee, we are stretched as Nigerians we are forced to react everyday to dynamism and I know that once we come back from recess definitely you are going to be hearing from the House of Representatives on this subject matter of ASUU.

“Because it has become ridiculous and if left unchecked people are beginning to feel we are going to leave it to the next government to sort out but it would affect our students especially our final year students who have a few months left to go and they have been at home now for the past nine months.”

Nwawuba who is also the deputy Chairman of the House committee on Niger Delta claimed that the House has so far attained the 70 percent mark owing to the milestones recorded with the enactment of key legislations like the petroleum industry Act (PIA), the electoral amendment Act (2022), and an increase in Health budget particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A communique issued at the end of the two days workshop graced by Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila and the clerk of House, Dr Yahaya Danzaria, participants, among others stressed the need to sustain the passage of outstanding critical bills, such as Audit and Budget bills as well as other legislations that will improve security of lives and property, power sector, health, education and other socio economic as encapsulated in the Legislative Agenda of the 9th House of Representatives.

They also stressed the need for the House and indeed the National Assembly to ensure adequate representation as stipulated by relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) on lawmaking processes as well as attraction of developmental projects to their respective Federal Constituencies as a way of addressing low turnover rates of lawmakers;

Participants further underscored the need for the leadership of the Assembly to ensure consideration of the reports of various Standing and Ad-hoc Committees that have concluded their legislative works and ensure immediate transmission to the Executive for implementation while ensuring that the House Committee on Legislative Compliance carries out its function.

They thereby commended the 9th House of Representatives under the leadership of Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila on the passage of key bills such as Petroleum Industry Act, Electoral Act, Police Reform Act, among others.