"It's Counter-productive": CSOs Blast FG, National Assembly Over Creation of New Agencies
- Lawmakers of the National Assembly have been cautioned against creating new agencies across ministries of the nation
- The call was made to the lawmakers on Monday, March 27, by a coalition of civil society organisation
- The CSOs said that creating new agencies amounts to a duplication of responsibilities of the already existing ones
A coalition of civil society organisations has condemned the move by the National Assembly to create new agencies.
Describing this as counter-productive the Civil Society Coalition for Transparency and Good Governance said the duplication of governmental duties by creating multiple agencies to address the same issues should not be encouraged.
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Led by Victor Udoh, the coalition during a World Press Conference held in Abuja on Monday, March 27, said that the needed action by the government and the National Assembly is to enhance the capacity of the existing ones rather than create new agencies.
Udoh noted that the move by the National Assembly brings no value to the nation's development said, there are tendencies that work is left undone due to the duplication.
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The coalition made its stance known with specific reference to the proposed Bill by the House of Representatives for an Act to establish a National Commission for Almajiri Education and Out of School Children for the provision of a Multimodal System of Education.
The bill aims to tackle the menace of illiteracy, develop skills acquisition and entrepreneurship programmes, prevent youth poverty, delinquency and destitution in Nigeria and other related matters.
Udoh said:
"It is our firm belief that agencies like Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), National Commission for Mass Literacy, and adult and non-formal education are sufficiently covered by the law to perform all the functions intended to address in the proposed bill.
"It is, therefore, pertinent to note that the National Assembly should be more concerned in seeing that these agencies get improved funding and effective leadership to deliver on their mandates. Through capacity building, genuine budget implementation and very importantly monitoring through oversight."
He further called on the leadership of the House and other stakeholders in the process of law-making to reject the bill because it will be counterproductive in truly finding genuine solutions to the subject matter mentioned therein in the bill.
He added:
"For there are already existing agencies that by law are to take care of the said subject.
"We equally call on the leadership of the National assembly to be more pragmatic in urgently increasing funding for the aforementioned agencies so that we can address the Almajiri issues in Nigeria squarely. As we seek to build a better and stronger nation leaving no one behind."
List of Constitution review bills rejected by President Buhari finally emerges
Last week, President Muhammadu Buhari rejected 19 of the 35 Constitution amendment bills presented to him by the lawmakers of the National Assembly.
Following the assent of only 16 constitutional review bills, the Senate constituted a committee to probe the president's decision.
While commending the president for approving some of the bills, the Senate president, Ahmad Lawan, on Tuesday, March 21, said that the Senate would engage with the presidency to ascertain why the 19 bills were rejected.
Presidency speaks on Buhari’s plan not to hand over to Tinubu on May 29
Meanwhile, Garba Shehu said the Muhammadu Buhari administration is already in the transition phase and will hand over to the incoming government of President-elect Bola Tinubu on May 29.
The presidential spokesman said this in reaction to media reports claiming Buhari is unwilling to hand over to Tinubu.
Shehu added that Buhari is eager to leave the Presidential Villa and relocate to his hometown in Daura, Katsina state.
Source: Legit.ng
