By Emman Ovuakporie

The year, 2013 passed on without any significant result to show by the House of Representatives, particularly in the areas of probes.
By the time the House went on the yuletide break the House had carried out more than 32 probes covering all the segments of the Nigerian society.

Besides the probes, the House in plenary or through its committees also summoned several government agencies to explain issues of importance to the House.
The agencies most summoned not surprisingly, were the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.

But how the numerous probes fared in the last one year is another issue.
Some of the probes carried out in the last one year include:
*Probe on tax evasion by banks
*Probe on oil theft, recently inaugurated
*BMW armoured cars purchased for the Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah by an agency of the Ministry of Aviation.
*Probe on seized assets by EFCC
*Alleged sale of Nigeria’s House in the US
*Failure of NNPC to remit $13billion
*Probe of death of 15years old Nigerian   SS one student in Ghana
*Probe of Land Racketeering in FCT
*50 questions on the Nigerian economy that Minister of Finance must answer
*Probe on Prisons tax invasion
*Probe of N5.6billion pipeline protection contract by NNPC
*Probe of  BPE  Over NITEL/MTEL Sale
*Probe of  Nigeria’s dwindling oil revenue.
* Probe on CBN’s cash less policy.
*The controversial sale of an oil bloc to Malabu  Oil and Gas company.

In several of the investigations, the probes were concluded and in some cases reports forwarded to the executive arm for implementation, but in most cases these reports were swept under the carpet. In some other cases, parallel committees were set up to replicate what the House had done.

It is a development which has made many members to believe that the presidency regards or treats the actions of the legislature with levity.
Undoubtedly, the development, it is claimed is largely responsible for the insignificant result the House achieved in the last one year.

But members nevertheless would point at some achievements in the past year.
Achievements in 2013:
The 1999 constitution ad hoc committee impressed members by concluding and submitting its report within the specific time line last year.
The committee was led by the Deputy Speaker, Chief Emeka Ihedioha.

The Aviation committee led by Nkeuruka Onyejeocha sprang a surprise for concluding investigations on the controversial purchase of two BMW armoured cars for N255 million by the Minister of Aviation within the specified time given  by the House. However, observers were bemused by the light treatment given the minister by the House committee.

House of Reps Speaker, Tambuwal

Robust Debate
The House leadership under Speaker Aminu Tambuwal also provided robust leadership and skirted around political mines supposedly set for it in the intrigues that faced the country in the last year.

Minuses for the House:
The House however left behind more than 10  issues unattended to.
One major issue that was treated with levity by the House in the last year was the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB.
The much talked about PIB was dropped midway after a nationwide public hearing was carried out by the ad-hoc committee led by the Chief Whip of the House, Hon Bawa Isiaka.

This was one committee that had more than 15 powerful committee chairmen of various sensitive committees. It was described by many legislators as the committee of wise men.

Committee reports
Yet, ten months after conducting its zonal public hearing in April nothing was heard of it again.
As at the  close of legislative business this year, over 55 committee reports were  yet to be submitted.
The House leadership had last November threatened to sanction such committees but as at the time the House adjourned last month, the leadership was yet to take a position on the laggards among the committees.

Defending the position of the principal officers on the issue, House spokesman Rep. Zakari Mohammed, APC, Kwara, told Vanguard that “it will be suicidal for the leadership to contemplate changing chairmen for now.”
“With what is on ground no sane leadership would venture into that kind of shake-up.”

Another major minus is the selective oversight functions carried out by committees. One significant development in the last year was the 2013 budget crisis. Though the 2013 budget was passed in record time, the president refused to give his assent until February and with reservations.

The implementation of the budget also drew flaks from members so that as the time for the presentation of the 2014 budget proposals got near, the members and the presidency officials got on edge. The crisis was compounded by the removal of Senator Joy Emodi as Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters. Emodi had in the past been able to douse the agitations of members but in her absence the House became something like a torment for the president.

It was not surprising that after some war of words that the president finally sent the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to submit the 2014 proposals on his behalf last month.
But sadly enough, on the same day she made the presentation, Chairman of Finance Committee, Dr Abdulmumini Jibrin summoned her to answer 50 questions on the Nigerian economy.

New Development in the House:
ACP’s sudden emergence as majority in the House in the last month of the year will certainly set a new agenda for the House when it resumes later this month.
The APC needs just nine members  to form a simple majority even though it now has the highest number of members following the defection of 37 PDP members to the  opposition party.

The defection resulted in the increase  of the number of APC members from 138 to 172. PDP that had a comfortable controlling majority with 208 members had its figure slashed to 171.
With the latest development, it is envisioned that the unity and cohesion that existed since June 2011 may evaporate as raw politics dictated by outside interests influence the thinking of members.