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The House of Representatives has received briefing from the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, on the intendment of the Bill seeking amendment to the Act establishing the management board of four paramilitary agencies under the ministry’s supervision.
The agencies include the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigeria Immigration Service, Federal Fire Service, and the Nigeria Correctional Service.
Receiving the briefing over the weekend, Majority Leader of the House, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, under whose parliamentary practices leave the role of defending legislative proposals from executive arm of the federal government, said the meeting was in tune with the routine practice of the House leadership to be armed with the needed details to push the proposal through.
“This is like a routine engagement to keep us abreast with the motive, the objectives of the legislative framework you want us to work on. We may have questions to answer on the floor, not necessarily from the opposition. Questions and all manner of observations may come up”, Doguwa said.
Responding to the inquiries, Aregbesola explained that the composition of the board managing issues of discipline, promotions and related matters affecting personnel as it were currently for the four agencies was not reflective of practices within the system, therefore the need for amendments to reflect the current realities “to bridge the legal and practices gaps”.
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The minister justified the proposed appointment of six Commissioners to the board on zonal representation basis, instead of two as presently constituted, against suggestion by the Rules Business Committee Chairman of the House, Abubakar Fulata that would it not it be more effective for each of the bodies to have respective management boards?
According to Aregbesola, funding six commissioners was far better than creating a board for each of the services. “Governance is not about number, but strategies, with technology.
He earlier explained that the proposed amendments would streamline the issues of appointments, promotion of officers, financial administration, discipline and miscellaneous recommendations, which he pleaded the parliament to expeditiously consider and pass.