- The Senate will expand the number of Standing Committees, and the committees and chairmen will be named on Monday
- The amendment to the Standing Orders aims to make them dynamic and improve the legislative process
The Senate announced on Saturday that it would expand the number of Standing Committees. It did not, however, reveal the figure.
The Senate also stated that the committees and chairmen would be named on Monday.
The Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, revealed this during plenary after the conclusion of the day’s ministerial screening when he raised a point of order on the need to amend the Senate’s Standing Orders.
The amendment was intended to allow the Senate to increase the number of Standing Committees.
According to Bamidele, the rules are being amended to address issues that will make the orders dynamic, facilitating an effective legislative process.
Despite the amendment, he stated that several issues still require further amendments in response to emerging developments that would improve rules or practise and legislative practice procedures.
He added;
The amendment will ensure that the expansion facilitates the definition of the functions and jurisdictions of new committees. As a result, the consequential approval of the Senate is mandatory for the review of the renumbered Order 96 to accommodate the new committees.
The Senate Leader urged the Senate to approve the proposed amendments in his prayers.
To consider the amendment, the Senate formed a Committee of the Whole.
On Saturday, the Senate screened five more nominees.
Dr. Bosun Tijani (Ogun State), Lola Ade-John (Lagos), Dr. Isiak Salako (Ogun State), Tahir Mamman (Adamawa), and Uba Ahmed (Taraba) are the nominees.
The Senate then postponed the final two nominees, Festus Keyamo (Delta State) and Mariya Mahmoud (Kano), until Monday.
The Senate then went into a closed-door session, which was still going on at 8:46 p.m.