From Jonas Ike, Abuja
Speaker of the House of Representatives Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila on Thursday announced the names of chairmen and deputy chairmen of standing committees in the House.
TNG reports that unlike the eighth House were the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara announced 96 committees, Gbajabiamila’s led ninth assembly announces 109, adding 13 more committees.
The decision to increase the committees was contained in a report submitted by an ad-hoc committee mandated to review the house standing order.
However, In the composition of the new committee, the Speaker’s key men clinched juicy committees such as Appropriation which is chaired by Mukhtar Betara; Finance, James Faleke; Public Accounts, Oluwole Oke; Defence, Babajimi Benson and Army, Abdulrazak Namdas; House Service, Wale Raji; Public Procurement Nasiru Ahmed.
Others are NDDC, Tunji Ojo; NEDC, Khadija Bukar and electoral matters, Aishatu Dukku.
Wails of betrayal
TNG reports that following the release of the standing order committees, aggrieved lawmakers within the majority All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus said the Speaker betrayed their trust. A particularly lawmaker told TNG tearfully; Gbaja has done his worst. We rally round him with all the resources at our disposal and he dare pay us back this way? We shall see!”
TNG observed further that the immediate past Speaker, Yakubu Dogara was visibly missing in all of the committees. Similarly the Coordinator of the Gbajamimila’s campaign; Abdulmumin Jibrin was also not given any position. However, unconfirmed reports have it that Jibrin has been penciled down to head a strategic agency for delivering Gbajabiamila as Speaker hence his conspicuous absence on the list.
More details later…