Abuja spokesman of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu has said that the Green Chamber has not yet fixed a date for the proposed 2 week leave. It will be recalled that the House upon a motion to increase efforts and expedite action on the containment of the ravaging deadly coronavirus at plenary on Tuesday ameded the prayers to accommodate a two week leave. But the reports in some quarters of the media were that the House has already taken a position on the day to proceed.
Apparently correcting the impression, Kalu said that the Parliament would have a session today, stressing that it was yet to pick a day for the leave. “The House of Representatives, in plenary on Tuesday the 3rd of March, 2020, considered a motion on the urgent need for emergency response and need to contain the deadly coronavirus in Nigeria.
The motion was thoroughly debated and passed. Some of the prayers include the need for the leadership of the National Assembly to set up an ad-hoc committee to liaise with the relevant health agencies to ensure efforts to combat the virus are intensified. The House also called for a better orientation of the disease by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture through
An amendment to the prayers of the motion calling on the House to suspend plenary for two weeks to work and contribute its legislative efforts by helping to sensitize constituents on the coronavirus and how it is being handled was also adopted. “The amendment also urged the management of the National Assembly to put measures in place to ensure the virus does not find a place to fester in the National Assembly.
It is, however, necessary to clarify that the two weeks suspension of plenary has not commenced and is subject to reconsideration by the House. The leadership of the House is to meet and consider the arrangement necessary before a date can be fixed for the sensitization of constituents by their respective lawmakers, therefore, the vusiness of lawmaking continues on Wednesday March 2, 2020″, Kalu wrote in a statement.
