By Amos Aar
BENUE legislators have called on the State Governor, Rev. Fr Hyacinth Alia, to mobilise the contractor handling the renovation of the Benue State House of Assembly complex back to site to complete work on the building to enable members have a befitting and conducive place to perform their legislative duties.
Moving a motion to that effect during Thursday plenary, majority leader of the house, Hon. Saater Tiseer, noted that alleged harassment of honourable members by security personnel at the gate of Government House, Makurdi whenever they want to access the Old Banquet Hall for legislative duties has become worrisome and appealed to the Governor to complete the renovation work in time to enable members return back to the complex.
The majority leader lamented that the abandonment of the project has compelled the legislators to continue holding sittings at government house, subjecting them to harassment and unfair treatment by the security operatives at the government house.
Minority leader of the House Rt. Hon. Micheal Audu while seconding the motion corroborated that members at several times had been humiliated and subjected to many checks and sometimes humiliated by the Government House security personnel.
The house resolved to hold plenaries even under trees if the Assembly complex renovation project is not completed until its resumption from recess in October, 2024 even as the speaker, Hon. Aondona Dajoh, appreciated governor Hyacinth Alia for committing “huge resources” to the renovation of the assembly complex, expressing confidence that the House proceedings will be held in the main chamber of the House when the House resume from recess.
The House proceeded to embark on recess during the Thursday plenary, marking the end of the first sitting of the second legislative session (2024-2025) of the tenth Assembly.
The Assembly referred to section (101) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) which empowers the House of Assembly of a State to regulate it’s own procedure including the procedure for summoning and recess of the House.
Moving a motion for the House to proceed on recess, the majority leader, Hon. Sateer Tiseer, explained that although the session of the 10th Assembly adopted on Wednesday, June 5, 2024 provided for the termination of the first sitting on Friday, August 30, 2024, with recess commencing on Monday, September 2, 2024, the House could not strictly adhere to the schedules on the calendar in order to attend State matters.
Relatedly, the House received and deliberated on Twelve substantive motions and adopted thirty major resolutions during the period.
Three communications were also received during Thursday plenary including the request to confirm Governor Alia’s nominees for appointments as Chairman of the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission and the Auditor General for Local Government Commission and to improve the revised 2024 budget and Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF).
