Connect with us

News

‘We didn’t shut down totally’, Gbajabiamila defends Reps’ recess following backlash

Published

on

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Monday reacted to criticism trailing the suspension of public hearing and committee sittings by the House leadership.

The country’s opposition figures, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had last week accused the lower legislative chamber of attempting to sweep under the carpet, the alleged corruption cases in government agencies following the suspension of House committee sittings.

However, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, the speaker insisted that the Green Chamber did not totally shut down its activities during its six weeks annual recess.

According to him, the leadership of the House decided to suspend pubic and investigative hearings for the remaining three weeks of the annual vacation to put in place more measures that would benefit Nigerians.

He added that the House’s oversight functions in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are still ongoing.

READ ALSO: Reps’ suspension of public hearings a plot to cover up corruption in Buhari’s govt —PDP

In a chat with State House correspondents at the end of the Executive/Legislature Consultative meeting convened by President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, Gbajabiamila stressed that House has not breached any law or known convention by going on vacation.

He said: “First of all, whatever form of democracy you practise around the world, there’s always an annual recess; we are not reinventing anything. Recess has only one meaning: it’s either you are on recess or you are working.

“I have been in the National Assembly, I have never known of a situation, and I’m yet to be proven wrong where, when on an annual summer recess, members are working, conducting public hearings, doing investigations.

“I’m not talking about other recess, it’s a different thing when you close plenary and committees are still working, there’s a big difference. But in the summer, we go on an annual recess.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now