BY BEN AGANDE

Kampala—Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha, has reiterated the readiness of the National Assembly to ensure that the 2012 budget was strictly implemented by the executive.

Ihedioha, who stated this at the on-going conference of Inter- Parliamentary Union Conference in Kampala, Uganda, noted that this was part of measures being adopted to ensure that the aspirations of the people were met.

He said the measure became necessary to ensure that the essence of the timely passage of the budget is met.

He noted that the National Assembly made concessions and met the executive arm of government half way to ensure a smooth passage of the budget in the overall interest of the nation.

He said part of the measures being put in place include streamlining and strengthening  the oversight functions of the legislature to make implementing departments and agencies more accountable, transparent and adherent to the provisions of the appropriation law.

The deputy speaker also said that in line with the theme of the ongoing IPU assembly, which is “parliament and the people: bridging the gap”, the National Assembly was increasing and strengthening its reach-out programmes and mechanisms in order to give Nigerians better understanding and greater sense of belonging in the work of the legislature.

He said some of the measures include convening of town hall meetings which he said, will begin soon across different zones of the country, in line with the legislative agenda of the House of Representatives as unveiled by Speaker of the House, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, in the beginning of the seventh assembly.

He advised members of the public to offer constructive criticisms to their lawmakers and take full advantage of opportunities provided to interface with the public, including making appropriate responses to calls for memoranda and submitting petitions on issues of personal and communal concerns to the parliament as the need arose.

He assured that the National Assembly would continue to bridge the gap between the lawmaking institution and Nigerian citizenry, and called for the support and patience of the populace in the discharge of legislative functions.