Reps committee to treat petition by Tivs in America against FG earlier rejected at plenary

House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora has assured that it was working on a petition by a group -Mutual Union of the Tiv in America against the Federal Government over alleged injustice.

Rep. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe (APC-Oluyole), the Chairperson of the committee said this in a statement by her media aide, Mr Olusada Olamilekan on Wednesday, March 17, in Ibadan.

Akande-Sadipe said that the committee had begun investigation on the contents therein.

“Your numerous petitions and messages have been well received by me and compiled.

“The petition is being investigated by the leadership of the House and Diaspora Committee.

“This issue is of utmost importance to the House and it will be resolved in a matter of days,” she said.

She apologised for the alleged rejection of the group’s petition on the floor of the House on March 10.

Ripples Nigeria had reported that the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmad Wase at the plenary last week rejected a public petition from Tiv people in America against the federal government.

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The petition was based on an alleged taking over of their ancestral lands after various attacks from herdsmen that forced them away from their homes, presented by Hon. Mark Gbillah on their behalf.

The Deputy Speaker said Nigerians in Diaspora are not eligible to file petitions against the federal government on issues regarding crimes committed or linked to herdsmen.

Wase justifying the rejection in a statement on Monday, said the coverage and reportage of the incident have mostly been doctored, slanted, and bent to give political and ethnic coloration to the event that was otherwise strictly based on rules of parliamentary procedures.

He said, ”Note that as a rule, every petition must be presented by a sponsor on behalf of an identifiable petitioner who can either be an individual, groups of individuals, or registered corporate entity. The House has over the years entertained Petitions from Nigerians in the diaspora.

“However, those petitions were properly presented before the House without any ambiguity as to the identity of the Petitioners or as to their locus and availability to speak to the issues raised in such Petitions”

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