Dogara appoints Jibrin, Faleke, Onyejiocha, 94 others as committee heads

• Accommodates PDP’s, Gbajabiamila’s loyalists
• Insists on state assemblies,’ LGs’ autonomy
• Urges them not to be slaves to governors

SPEAKER of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, yesterday unveiled the names of chairmen and deputy chairmen of 97 committees of the lower legislative chamber.

Dogara, who unveiled the list during the House plenary session, said that the constitution of the committees satisfied the requirement of the Standing Order Rules of the House of Representatives.
Of the committees was the one charged with the primary responsibility to cater for the needs of the Internally-Displaced Persons (IDPs), refugees and initiatives on North-East, which is top on the list of the House’s legislative agenda in the Eight Assembly.

Dogara appointed former National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Mr. Mohammed Sani Zorro (APC: Tunnel/Maigateri/Gagarawa: Jigawa) as Chairman and Mr. Adaji Awulu Ezekiel (PDP: Khomeini, Otukpo: Benue) as Vice Chairman of the committee.

In another development, Dogara has urged state Houses of Assembly to support moves to grant financial autonomy to them and local councils in the country.

Speaking when he received members of the Bauchi State House of Assembly in his office yesterday, Dogara said democracy is facing serious threat at the grassroots as a result of lack of independence for the local councils.
“There is no meaning to independence if you are not financially independent. Slaves don’t build societies, only free men do.
“The only authority for oversight in the state is the state Assembly, but when we transmitted the proposal for amendment to the state assemblies, they rejected it”, he said.

The state Assembly Speaker, who led other members, Kawuwa Shehu Damina, commended Dogara for his sterling leadership qualities.
The APC has 48 chairmen PDP has 45 while APGA and SDP have one each in the sharing of committee chairmen positions.

James Abiodun Faleke (APC: Ikeja: Lagos) who incidentally is the running mate to Alhaji Abubakar Audu in the Kogi governorship polls billed for November 21 was named Chairman of the Customs and Excise Committee. Both Abdulmumini Jibrin (APC: Bebeji: Kiru: Kano) and Babangida Ibrahim (APC: Kafur, Malumfashi: Katsina) were given the chairmanship positions of the committees on Appropriation and Finance respectively.

The chairmanship positions of the committees on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) and Petroleum Resources (Upstream) were allotted to Akinlaja Joseph Irnola (PDP: Ondo) and Victor Onyemachi Nwokolo (PDP: Ika-North, Ika-East: Delta).

Key among the lawmakers who were part of the Seventh Assembly that retained their committee portfolio were Nicholas Mutu Ebomo for Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Aminu Suleiman for the Committee on Tertiary Education and Services, and Onyejiocha Nkeruka Chiduben for the Aviation Committee.

Also on the list of the committees which had chairmen and vice chairmen from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) drawn from both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was Mr. Abdulrazak Namdas who emerged Chairman of the Media and Public Affairs Committee.
The APC has 48 committee chairmen; PDP has 45 while APGA and SDP have one each in sharing of the positions.