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The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, near Jos says it is exposing House of Representatives members-elect to tasks ahead in areas of health, education, security among others.
Its spokesman, Prof. Sola Adeyanju, made the declaration on Thursday in Abuja when he spoke with State House correspondents on the side-lines of the Strategic Leadership retreat for newly-elected public office holders. “The essence of this retreat is to make sure that we expose our lawmakers, particularly the newly-elected lawmakers to those researches that had been conducted in specific areas of our national life.
“Areas like health, education security; there are lots of works that had been done and recommendations made; and we have a lot of implementation strategies that can help lawmakers to know what their role will be. We want a situation where the newly-elected lawmakers will come and they will be able to hit the ground running. We want to give them an idea of what kind of bill and in what areas we actually need some bills and areas needing some law making,’’ he said.
Prof. Adeyanju added that there was the need to implement recommendations already made as they would have far-reaching impacts on the country. “For instance, recommendations had been made on the kind of educational system that we could have where we would not be having incessant strikes.
“We have worked on funding healthcare services which concern people at the grassroots and how government can look for funding to make sure that healthcare services are okay. Some of these recommendations are lying fallow out there and we felt we should expose the incoming lawmakers to them before the next Assembly is proclaimed so as to help the country,’’ he said.
Some of the legislators-elect also spoke with the newsmen. Inuwa Garba (PDP-Gombe) Yamatu Deba Federal Constituency said the retreat had equipped the lawmakers-elect with the requisite knowledge for law-making. “I have to appreciate NIPPS for this very laudable initiative by organising this programme which I believe will empower members-elect with some basic requirements of the tasks ahead. I believe we have gained a lot in terms of the quality of presentations and the answers to so many questions that were raised,’’ he said.
On her part, Chinwe Nnabuife, member-elect representing Orumba North and Orumba South Federal Constituency of Anambra, said the retreat was enriching. “This programme is very informative and educative; coming from our backgrounds; we have been made to know what the processes of policy-making are,’’ she said.
Nnabuife added that newly-elected lawmakers had been made to understand policy making, policy implementation and policy evaluation. “For us in the 10th Assembly, we are particular about making policies and ensuring that they are implemented and evaluated for the good of Nigerians; it is not going to be business as usual,’’ she stressed. The first two days of the retreat were dedicated to governors-elect, their deputies and senators-elect. (NAN)
