TVCE (ABUJA) – Speaker of the House of Representatives says crashing prices of crude oil in the international market is a wake up call to all in Authority to take seriously, diversification of the nation’s economy.
In an address he read to welcome his colleagues into the new year, Yakubu Dogara also stressed the need to urgently amend the constitution to compel the President to lay budget three months before the end of a fiscal year.
National Assembly Correspondent, Joke Adisa reports that the Speaker also charged members on the need to pass the 2016 budget early.
Declaring open the first legislative day in the year, the Speaker says the eight House of Representatives must hit the ground running to make appreciable impact in the people’s lives.
He is promising an early passage of the 2016 budget but going forward, Dogara says for Nigeria to operate an orderly and predictable budgeting system, some constitutional amendments are must be made.
Among the bills that scaled second reading is one seeking to restructure the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to make its anti-graft role more effective.
Out of the twenty bills listed, six of them were thrown out and these included a Bill seeking to make provisions for at least five days notice to the Nigeria Police by anybody planning to hold assemblies or processions