Vote on 87 priority bills of October Constitution amendment
The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the deteriorating state of Nigerian diplomatic missions in the United States of America.

It also mandated four of its standing committees (Student Loans, Scholarships and Higher Education Financing; Banking and Other Ancillary Institutions; Anti-Corruption; and University Education) to investigate alleged unethical practices surrounding the disbursement of student loans from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

Barring last-minute changes, the 360-member House would vote on each of the 87 priority areas on the amendment of the Constitution on October 14, this year.

This resolution on the missions followed “disturbing and embarrassing discoveries” during the lawmakers’ oversight visit to Nigerian mission houses in New York, Atlanta and Washington D.C.

Adopting a motion of urgent public importance moved by Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, during plenary, yesterday, the lawmakers resolved to investigate the alleged mismanagement, infrastructural decay and financial distress crippling Nigeria’s foreign missions, particularly in the U.S.

Chinda said the missions that had been neglected serve as a means of interface for the Nigerian government, foreign governments and other international organisations.

According to him, the missions are strategic for advancing diplomatic, economic, cultural and technical aid policies, as the U.S. hosts many important international organisations including the United Nations (UN).

The House, while adopting the motion, urged the Federal Government to immediately appoint the country’s Permanent Representative to the UN and High Commissioner to the U.S.

It further urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Accountant General to save the missions from imminent ridicule.

THE resolution to probe the disbursement of the loans followed the adoption of a motion moved by Aliyu Mustapha (representing Ikara/Kubau Federal Constituency) during a plenary presided over by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, yesterday.

Mustapha expressed concern over alleged violations of the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2024, by some schools and financial institutions.

The lawmaker, while presenting the motion, noted that the 2024 Act was enacted to ensure transparent, timely and equitable access to interest-free loans for all Nigerian students pursuing higher education. He wondered that despite the commendable progress, including the disbursement of over N54 billion to more than half a million applicants, reports of malpractices threaten the scheme.

He stated: “Aware that a recent report by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) alleging collusion between certain tertiary institutions and financial institutions to delay, divert or conceal disbursement of the loans.”

Adopting the motion, the House resolved to urge NELFUND to implement advanced Information Technology (IT) solutions to strengthen verification and streamline the disbursement processes.

Lawmakers also called on the agency to sanction any institution violating the provisions of the Act and the NELFUND guidelines.

The House directed the four committees to investigate the allegations and report back within four weeks.

BALLOTING for the 87 bills was disclosed by the Deputy Speaker/Chairman of the House Special Committee on Amendment of the Constitution, Benjamin Kalu during the proceeding of the committee yesterday, at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

Kalu explained that the voting on the items ranging from the agitation for state police, states and local council creation to gender inclusion in the governance of the country would be conducted after the secretariat of the committee had produced a clean copy from the outcome of the national and zonal public hearings in the six geopolitical zones.

The Abia State-born lawmaker explained that before the votes, his colleagues in the green chamber would be availed the opportunity to study and debate the items on the proposed amendment for three days at plenary sessions between October 7 and 9.

Kalu disclosed that a clean copy of the outcome of the votes would subsequently be transmitted to the 36 states’ speakers at a ceremony at the Transcorp Hilton on October 30.