Reps postpone resumption of plenary over renovation of chamber

The house of representatives has postponed resumption of plenary. 

The lower legislative chamber had, on April 14, embarked on Easter break.

The lawmakers were scheduled to resume on April 26.

But in a statement issued on Monday, Yahaya Danzariya, clerk of the house of representatives, said the resumption date has been shifted.

He attributed the development to the renovation of the green chamber and to allow various committees complete and turn in their reports, adding that a new resumption date would be made available.

“This is to inform all Honourable Members and other legislative Staff that the House of Representatives Plenary earlier scheduled for Tuesday, 26th April, 2022 will no longer hold,” the statement reads.

“This is due to the early commencement of renovations in the Chambers and extension of time for Committees to file in their outstanding reports.

“A new date will be communicated in due course. All inconveniences are sincerely regretted.”

The green chamber had approved the request of President Muhammadu Buhari to earmark N4 trillion for petrol subsidy before proceeding on the Easter break.

The national assembly had, on April 15, asked senators and house of representatives members “to relocate from their main chambers to temporary venues for plenary as the contractor handling the renovation of the national assembly complex resumes work”.

The legislators were asked to use spacious committee rooms for their plenary sittings as the renovation is expected to last for 16 months.

In recent months, the national assembly complex has been flooded as a result of heavy rain.

In 2019, the national assembly budgeted over N30 billion for the renovation of the complex, but the amount had sparked off criticism.

The amount was later reviewed to N9 billion.