The House of Representatives is set to hold a one-day retreat for Chairpersons and Deputies of its various Standing Committees on Monday, November 27, 2023.
Scheduled to hold at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja, the retreat has the theme: “Improving Legislative Performance through Effective Committee Management,” underscoring the commitment of the *Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen*-led House to follow through on the mission of its recently-unveiled Legislative Agenda.
As contained in a detailed agenda made available to Honourable members, the retreat will touch on subjects like International Good Practice in Committee Management, Benchmarks in Conducting Legislative Hearings and Investigations as well as overview of Legislative Practice & Procedures, among others.
Outlined in 4.3 of its Legislative Agenda, the Green Chamber identifies a continuous improvement in the National Assembly’s delivery processes as a catalyst for better governance, increased public trust, and more meaningful representation. Thus, the retreat of Committee Chairpersons and Deputies is in line with its avowed priority of strengthening institutional and legislative capacity.
Expressing optimism about the impact of the retreat, House Spokesman, *Rep. Akin Rotimi Jr.,* who doubles as Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs noted that the commitment to strengthening legislative capacity is a strategic move essential to ensuring effective governance and the rule of law.
_“This is beyond just having an activity or a talkshop. As clearly stated in our Agenda, for the Green Chamber to creditably discharge its functions, institutional and human resource capacity must be significantly upscaled and strengthened. Additionally, a reality we have identified as the ‘People’s House’ is that putting in place a well-functioning institution is an important precondition for achieving all the other strategic priorities under our Legislative Agenda._
_In light of this, I can tell you that very many of my colleagues who chair the various Committees of the House, as well as their Deputies are upbeat about this retreat happening barely two weeks after we unveiled the Agenda,”_ Rep. Rotimi said.
The House of Representatives had on Tuesday, November 14 at a formal ceremony, unveiled its eight-point Legislative Agenda for the Tenth Assembly in the presence of guests from the National Assembly, the executive, civil society, as well as the international community.
The Agenda, which has the mission of “promoting professionalism and best legislative practices in lawmaking, oversight and representation,” has since its unveiling, been the guiding philosophy of the Assembly in the discharge of its constitutional mandate.
In the words of Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen PhD, Speaker of the House of Representatives, “there is no better way to show that the 10th House of Representatives is ready to respond, and urgently too, to the yearnings of those who brought us to the people’s House to do the people’s business.”