The House of Representatives will on resumption list for second reading, a Bill seeking to compel the President and State governors, to name ministers and commissioners within 21 days, after taking the oath of their respective offices.
Besides, the lawmakers want the Senate and State Assemblies, to dump future ministerial and commissioner nominees, that would fail to declare their assets at the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB.
The Bill, sponsored by Hon. Ben Igbakpa (PDP-Delta), entitled: “An Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, to Provide for the TimeFrame for Submitting the Names of Ministerial or Commissioner Nominees; with Portfolios attached and Evidence of Declaration of Assets and Liabilities of the Nominees,” is exclusively obtained by VANGUARD.
The piece of legislation seeks to alter sections 147 and 192 of the 1999 Constitution, to impose sanctions on the defaulting ministerial and commissioner nominees, and compel helmsmen of states, to appoint their respective cabinets, within 21 days.
The alteration of section 147 of the Constitution, by the Bill, states in part that: “provided that the President shall within 21 days after he has taken and subscribed to the Oath of Allegiance and the Oath of office prescribed in the Seventh Schedule of this Constitution, forward to the Senate for confirmation, list of nominees to such offices of Ministers of the government of the Federation and their portfolios.”
The Bill also warns that “no ministerial nominee, shall be confirmed by the Senate unless evidence of declaration of assets and Liabilities of the nominee as prescribed in this Constitution is presented.”
In the same way, section 192 of the 1999 Constitution, is amended to insist that the “Governor shall within 21 days after he has taken and subscribed to the Oath of Allegiance and the Oath of office, prescribed in the Seventh Schedule of this Constitution, forward to the House of Assembly of the State for confirmation, list of nominees to such offices of commissioners of the Government of a State and their portfolios.”
Section 192, as amended, also warns that “No Commissioner nominee, shall be confirmed by the House of Assembly of the State, unless evidence of declaration of assets and Liabilities of the nominee as prescribed in this Constitution, is presented.”
Sections 147 and 192, as currently contained in the 1999 Constitution, give the President and State executives, the latitude on all the concerns for amendment.
The Bill drew reactions from other members of the House.
The Deputy Minority Whip of the House, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (APC-Abia) in her reaction, said she would reserve her comments on the Bill till resumption from recess later in the month.
Rep. Benjamin Mzondu (PDP-Benue), in his response hailed the initiator of the legislative instrument, stressing that it was good for the advancement of our democracy.
His words: “That’s a good Bill; the timing might not be to everybody’s acceptance, but it is a good Bill. This one that it takes 6 months to appoint a cabinet, and the country is at a standstill, is unacceptable. When you win an election as Governor or President, you have over 3 to 4 months, before you are sworn in, and this Bill says 21 days after swearing-in, so there shouldn’t be excused. If you can’t meet up, you have flouted the Constitution and consequences will follow”.
On his part, Francis Otta Agbo, said the Bill was not a “fundamental issue for me; either way, is of no much interest to me, as a lawmaker”.
Another member of the House, Abdullahi Abubakar (Niger-APC) gave his full support for the piece of legislation.
He said: “I’m in support of the Bill. I support the Bill, because, if a President or Governor stays for 6 months before forming a cabinet, certain lacunae may be observed; there will be a problem. So we expect every President or Governor that is coming into power and expects to this country forward, to be able to form his cabinet, even before elections, so that immediately after elections, he should send a list of his cabinet to the Senate. As for the ministerial nominees, yes they are supposed to declare their assets before they screened. So I support the Bill for Ministers to bring their certificates of clearance by CCB when they come from screening.
