Abuja – The Speaker, House of Representatives, Rep. Yakubu Dogara, said on Thursday in Abuja, that the House passed 85 bills in the first legislative year of the 8th National Assembly.
Dogara made this known while delivering a speech to mark the first anniversary of the 8th Assembly, adding that within the period, the House received 685 bills.
“About 98 per cent (675) of them were members’ bills, 10 executive bills and out of the bills, 416 are awaiting second reading.
“One hundred and thirty bills have been referred to committees; three are awaiting consideration and it is instructive to observe that 85 of these bills have been passed by the House so far,’’ he said.
According to Dogara, the number of bills introduced in the last one year represents the highest annual consideration of bills by the House since the return to democratic governance in 1999.
He, however, pointed out that all the bills presented to the House had passed first reading.
“By this achievement, we have demonstrated to the country and the world out there that indeed change can only be achieved by positive action and not by mere talk.
“The major factor in the heightened bill introduction in the House relates to the implementation of one of the elements of the legislative agenda.
“Early in the session, a committee was inaugurated to review current laws of the country with a view to updating them.
“This has resulted in the unprecedented introduction of 130 bills which scaled first reading on a single day in 2015,’’ Dogara said.
On issue of House resolutions, he said that more motions were proposed in 2015/2016 legislative year than any other legislative year since 1999.
Dogara said that by June 8, 2016, 530 motions were introduced out of which 15 were withdrawn.
“Significantly also, the bulk of the motions moved were considered and resolutions passed accordingly,’’ he said.
Dogara added that 306 petitions were introduced in the session and many had been processed.
Shortly before the speaker’s speech, the House passed a bill to repeal the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges), 2004.
In its place, the House enacted the Legislative Powers and Privileges Act, 2016, which intends to give the legislature the desired powers and immunity to be able to carry out its legislative responsibility.
It will be recalled that the House on June 8, adopted the report of the committee of the whole on the bill.
