EXTRA: Unavailability of order paper stalls reps’ plenary

Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house of representatives, adjourned sitting on Thursday over the unavailability of the order paper.

The order paper is an agenda document which contains information and programme of the legislative business for the day.

Order 20 rule 3 (1) of the house states that “there shall be a committee to be known as a Committee on Rules and Business consisting of not more than 40 members constituted at the commencement of the life of the House.

“(a) scheduling the business of the House and causing them to be printed on the Order Paper.

“(c) Organising the House relative to Rules, Business and Procedure of the House

TheCable was unable to establish if the order paper was yet to be produced or was printed but not circulated.

Speaking before calling for an adjournment, Gbajabiamila said there will be consequences for the lapse.

“I am going to hold whoever is responsible. This house sits at 11am, everyone knows that,” he said.

“We adjourned yesterday to 11:00 (today) but at 11:20 when I came in there was nobody in this row, you were not here, none of your deputies was here.

“If the order paper is not ready, we can’t function as a house. What kind of thing is that? That we are now forced to adjourn the house.”