Why We Shut Down Legislative Activities — Gbajabiamila Replies CSOs

*Says Lawmakers Conducting Illegal Investigative Hearings
*As Leadership Leaves Room For Oversight

The House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila has said that the concept of legislative recess all over the world is to enable lawmakers take beeded rest from work after a rigorous legislative year which usually ends in May and commences in June as in the case of Nigeria.

The Speaker was reacting to criticism by civil society organizations that shutting down legislative activities in the House was uncalled for as the Senate is still holding hearings despite beign on an annual recess just like the House.

But the Speaker who disgrees with the CSOs cited abuses of legislative processes by some committees of the House who went about holding illegal investigative hearings devoid of House resolutions to that effect.

In a statement issued by the Speaker’s media office in Abuja on Monday, Gbajabiamila said:

“There has been a lot of misunderstanding and misconception. First of all, whatever form of democracy you practice anywhere in the world, there is always an annual recess. We are not re-inventing anything. Recess has only one meaning in the dictionary. You are either on recess or you are working”.

“I have perhaps been one of the longest serving members in the House. I have never known of a situation, I’m yet to be proven wrong, when on an annual summer recess, members are working, conducting public hearings, doing investigations. I’m not talking about any other recess. It’s a different thing when you close plenary and committees are still working. There is a big different. But in the summer, we go on recess.

“Now, because there is Covid and people are forced to stay in, it’s no excuse to continue work the way we continue. Unfortunately, sometime, you hear of investigative hearings that even the leadership is not aware of. Investigative hearings that have not been backed by resolutions of the House. That is a conflict in our procedure.

“Now, for the civil society to talk about why are you going on recess, we are always happy to look at advanced democracies whether it’s Germany, America, or England. We are always happy to compare Nigeria’s legislatures to those places. As I speak to you, the US Congress is on recess. It’s their annual recess. You won’t hear of any investigative hearing or public hearing.

“Just last week, the Speaker of the House of the US Congress had to call her members back through a zoom conference because of the issue of US Mayor and the impending elections. They had a zoom conference. That is the way it is done world over. That is number one.

“Back home in Nigeria, the Judiciary is on their annual recess. But we are not saying that because there is corruption, you will find one court opening, sitting, and hearing corruption cases. No.

They have one or two courts opening for administrative purposes. But they are on recess. And this is not the only one.

Work continues as usual. There must be a method in every organization. You cannot say that because you are a civil society, therefore, things should break. No. That is not how democracy works. It’s not how democracy works at all.

“To paint a clearer picture, we are only doing what is in keeping with what has been done when I got to the House.

In fact, the first time ever that the House had to recall itself was many years ago when Aminu Waziri Tambuwal was Speaker and there was oil crisis during the summer. And we reconvened the House on a Sunday because of the urgency of that moment.

So, I hope I have been able to answer the question whether it’s judiciary, whether it’s international, recess is recess”, the Speaker stressed.

He said despite the recess, other pressing needs with regards to critical oversight functions are bieng taken cRe of by committees depending on their impirtance to public good.

“On oversight functions, you can see that some members are on the road right now doing their work. That is a different kind of work. But it’s not a public hearing and investigative hearing. Members are actually out on oversight function and that hasn’t stopped”, he added.