Ahead of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, one of the frontrunners for the position of the Speaker, Yusuf Adamu Gagdi has vowed to reform the lower chamber to meet the expectations of Nigerians.
He said the ability of the House of Representatives to effectively meet the expectations of the people depends first on the quality, capacity and dedication of members who serve the parliament.
Gagdi who represents Pankshin/Kanke/Kanem federal constituency made the remarks in Abuja on Saturday at the public presentation of his manifesto for the 10th House of Representatives entitled, “The Gagdi Plan: One Nation, Forward Together.”
He said 24 years since the return to democracy, Nigerians expect more from their representatives in the National Assembly.
Gagdi stressed the importance of oversight functions of the House of Representatives, saying it is central to the constitutional mandate of the parliament.
The 10th House of Representatives, he said, will focus its legislative activities on achieving measurable improvements in those areas of public policy that offer the best hope of improving the lives and circumstances of the ordinary person.
He said: “Nigerians need to feel safe in their own country, and foreign investors require a guarantee of safety for their investments.
We need an educated workforce to compete in global economy and ensure that the opportunities for individual advancement are not limited by gender or disability.”
On constitutional reforms, he assured that under him as Speaker, the House will push for local government autonomy as one of its key priorities.
The move, he said aims to grant local government authorities direct access and greater control over their territories and resources, thereby promoting more efficient and effective governance at the grassroots level.
Gagdi also regretted that the administration of the criminal justice system in the country is still largely dependent on the use of archaic manual tools for everything from filing cases to transcribing testimony in court.
The development, he said contributes significantly to the lethargy in the judicial process, noting that digitization of the court system to automate specific processes and functions will expedite the functions and free up the court’s time for activities better suited to the ends of justice.
He said: “Nigeria’s place in the world is still being negotiated, and our future is not yet settled. The ultimate destiny of our nation will depend on the choices we make today.
“There are a lot of critically important choices to make over the next few years as we try to fix the structural, political and governance problems that stand in the way of our nation’s progress.
“From the farthest North to the deepest South of our country, talent, capacity, and ambition abound. The biggest task for government today is to figure out how to make Nigeria a place where talent blooms, ambition is rewarded and capacity is all you require to succeed.”
