Lagos Assembly passes legislative service commission bill

Lagos State House of Assembly has passed its Legislative Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in respect to the full financial autonomy granted to the State Legislature in the country by the presidency.

It would be recalled that the House constituted a 7-Man Ad Hoc Committee mandated by the House to consider the Bill to reflect the latest development on the autonomy.

The Legislation approved overwhelmingly by the House is to enact amongst others; the composition of the commission to compromise of a chairman, and four other members who shall in the opinion of the Speaker be persons of unquestionable integrity and shall represent the five divisions of the State; the tenures of the chairman and members of the commission which shall hold office for a term of five years and may be re-appointed for a further term of five years only; and the establishment of five deputy clerks.

Hon. Rotimi Olowo, who indicated that the Bill is a welcome idea, commended the efforts of the Committee for its timely completion of the recommendations, as each level will progress in their cadres and the House Service Commission will enjoy full autonomy and independence.

Other Members also commended the Committee for the recommendations proposed and aligned their support to the passing of the Bill.

In another development, the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform (Amendment) Bill, 2020 scaled through its second reading at the Plenary.

Hon. Adewale Temitope stated that the Bill needs an amendment as it is about the Transport Sector in Lagos State.

“It involves the first agenda of Mr Governor which is Transport. The Law seeks to address some areas affecting the transportation system and regulations in the State. It is therefore important that the House seeks the amendment of the Bill to further strengthen the sector.” He said.

Giving his ruling, The Speaker, Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Mudashiru Obasa, mandated the Bill to the House Committee on Transportation to look into the sections to be amended and report its findings to the House in two weeks.

Source: Today.ng

Labour ministry, senators clash over bill

Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen Chris Ngige

The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Productivity, on Wednesday, clashed with members of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance, and other Financial Institutions, at a public hearing.

The Public hearing is on Banks and other Financial Institutions Act Cap B3  LFN 2004 (Repeal and Reenactment ) Bill 2020( SB.178)  and Electronic Transaction Bill, 2020 (SB.155).

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The ministry’s Director of Productivity and Labour Standards, Eyewumi Neburagho, who represented the Minister, Chris Ngige, had called for the suspension of both the public hearing and the bill when he was invited to make comments during the hearing.

He said as a major stakeholder, the ministry was not availed or presented with a copy of the bill on which this public hearing is called.

He said the ministry must know how the bill would affect workers interest.

He, therefore, said the Senate panel should either step down further actions on the bill or expunge aspects that would affect workers’ interest.

“Nigeria has ratified the International Labour Organisation convention no 144 on tripartite consultation, traditional labour standard.

“We, in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, have not been availed or presented with a copy of the said bill on which this public hearing is called.

“Rather, in view of the interventions of the Nigerian Labour Congress on part of the bill as it affects the issue of labour legislation, we will like to state that this public hearing be stepped down until the bill is circulated to all social partners to ascertain if the bill meets international labour standards and best practices.

“The Ministry of Labour and Employment wish to propose that the proposed bill be stepped down and the public hearing be suspended until the labour issues in the bill are sorted out in the appropriate tripartite consultative forum.

“On the other hand, the sponsors of the bill may wish  to expunge the labour aspect of the bill and go ahead with the areas on digital financial transactions.”

His submission did not go down well with the members of the committee who said the legislative process on the bill would continue.

The committee chairman, Senator Uba Sani, warned the ministry against dictating to the National Assembly on its procedures.

Reps Speaker, Gbajabiamila To Face Impeachment Over ‘Infectious Disease Control Bill’

Nigerian Pilot reliably gathered that the recent face-off between the leadership of the House led by Gbajabiamila, the state governors and former Speaker of the House and now governor of Sokoto state, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal may cause Gbajabiamila his seat if not properly handled.

According to the source, the governors who are allegedly not happy with the way the House of Representatives responded to their advice that the Infectious Disease Control Bill be “stepped down” until proper consultations are made, are mobilising against the Speaker who is the lead sponsor of the Bill.

The source further disclosed that the governors at a recent meeting in Abuja had “secretly” agreed to push for the Speaker’s impeachment through their various representatives at the green chamber.

He said some of the governors openly accused the Speaker of being “arrogant” in his approach to “national issues” a development they said should be checked to maintain the cordial relationship between the Legislature and the Executive.

Speaking further, the source stated the governor of Sokoto state, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal’s loyalists who felt slighted that the governor was accused of misleading and misguiding other members of the Governors Forum are also “spoiling for war”.

He said some members of the House already have grudges against the Speaker over allegation of overbearing especially in handling the donation to the fight against the coronavirus also known as COVID-19.

It was also alleged that the Speaker has been making frantic efforts to get his political godfather to rally the governors to shelve their plans and create an avenue for dialogue.

It would be recalled that the governors operating under the aegis of Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF had recently urged the National Assembly to step down the proposed Infectious Disease Control Bill, 2020 introduced by the House of Representatives until an appropriate consultative process is held.

Chairman of the Forum, Dr. Kayode Fayemi who is also the Governor of Ekiti state had in Communiqué at the end of the Forum’s eight teleconference meeting added that the consultation must include a public hearing to gather public opinion and concerns on the proposed Bill.

However, responding to the advice by the Governor’s Forum, the House of Representatives said it does not legislate for the states and therefore should not be “cowed” from doing its Constitutional responsibility.

The spokesman of the House, Hon. Benjamin Kalu in a statement regretted that Hon. Aminu Tambuwal who is a former Speaker of the House stood a better position to rightly inform the Governors Forum but failed to do so.

Hon. Kalu went ahead to call for the disqualification of Tambuwal who is also the Governor of Sokoto state from a proposed consultative meeting with the Nigeria Governors Forum accusing him of being biased towards the Infectious Disease Control Bill insisting that Tambuwal misled and misguided the Forum into asking the House to step down the Bill.

“We assume that his position was informed by his well-known personal and partisan opposition to the emergence of the current leadership of House led by Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila considering his obvious stance in 2015 and 2019,” he stated.