The House of Representatives Wednesday stepped down a Senate bill in protest of the consistent failure of the upper chamber of the National Assembly to concur to bills from the House.
There were repeated motions on the floor of the House in the past, prompting resolutions that attention of the Senate be drawn to the development in writing.
The legislative proposal in question titled; “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Federal Orthopaedic Hospital Management Act, to Establish Federal Orthopaedic Hospital, Obokun, Osun State and for Related Matters (SB. 169)” triggered the debate, just after Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Julius Ihonvbere, moved a motion for its second reading.
Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, pointed out to Speaker Abbas Tajudeen that several of the House’s bills have been stagnated by the Senate, and wondered why the House would continue to consider bills from the upper chamber. He was supported by Hon. Awaji Inombek Abiante.
In response, Speaker Abbas in his attempt to allow the bill listed to progress noted that for six months running, “there are 146 bills of the House before the Senate” out of which 10 personally sponsored by him. “Maybe we can say that henceforth, if there’s no improvement on that, we will not proceed,” he said before allowing Chinda to conclude his point.
Chinda however insisted that “If you ask me to state my position on this, I will ask that the bill in question be stepped down,” to loud cheers of his colleagues.
When Speaker Abbas put the suggestion to voice votes, it was unanimously approved, and the bill was immediately stepped down.