The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has inaugurated the House Monitoring and Evaluation Committee to ensure effectiveness in the operations of the House.
Performing the ceremony on Wednesday in Abuja, Abbas stated the House would no longer tolerate unprofessional conduct by its members.
“With the establishment of this committee, let me declare that the era of conducting oversight, public hearings, and investigative hearings without reports for action is over.
“The House will no longer tolerate unprofessional conduct from committees that fail to discharge their responsibilities. It is your duty as a committee to drive this process. I charge you to police our committees and make them function effectively and efficiently,” he said.
The speaker said that the success or failure of the 10th House of Representatives largely rested on the shoulders of the committee.
He said establishing the committee was a significant step towards enhancing the accountability and efficiency of legislative processes through our various committees.
The lawmaker said that the committee’s mandate was to oversee, assess, and enhance the work of all the various committees of the House.
“You are to ensure that committees turn in their reports regularly as required, prompt relevant committees to take action on assigned tasks, assess the performance of each committee, and make recommendations to the leadership of the House.
“Your report, expected quarterly according to our standing orders, will be taken very seriously as it will guide the House to take the necessary steps in managing our committees,” he said.
Abbas said that committees would play a vital role in the functioning of the House as they were responsible for conducting most of the legislative activities and businesses.
He said that their efficiency and effectiveness would significantly impact the overall performance of a legislature, which in turn affects its ability to meet its obligations towards the people.
He further said that to guarantee that committees functioned optimally, it was essential not only to provide them with adequate funding and appoint the right individuals to the committees but also to monitor and evaluate their performance constantly.
