•Wase chairs federal character, Betara, FCT
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
House of Representatives, yesterday, unveiled the chairmen and deputy chairmen of its standing committees even as it increased the number of committees from 109 to 134.
Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, who announced the headship of the committees, at plenary, named former Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase as chairman , Committee on Federal Character and former House Leader, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, as chairman, Petroleum Resources( Upstream).
Former Chairman on Appropriation, Mukktar Batara, was named as chairman, Committee of the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT); Aminu Jaji, Ecological Fund; Miriam Onuoha, TetFund; while Yusuf Gadgi and Sada Soli retained the chairmanship of Committees on Navy and Water Resources, respectively, which they headed in the ninth assembly.
Wase and Jaji had contested against Abbas for the speakership; while Doguwa, Betara, Gadgi, Onuoha and Soli withdrew from the contest to support the speaker’s aspiration.
Other chairmen of standing committees include Abubakar Bichi, Appropriation; Afam Ogene, Renewable Energy; James Faleke, Finance; Salam Bamidele, Public Accounts ( PAC); Babajimi Benson, Defence and Abdulmumin Jibrin, Foreign Affairs.
Ikenga Ugochinyere emerged Chairman, Petroleum Downstream; Victor Nwokolo; Khadija Ibrahim, NIMASA; Ibrahim Amos ,House Services; Leke Abejide, Customs and Excise; Okojie Odi, Petroleum, Midstream; Erhiakate Ibori-Suenu, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) ; Bello El-Rufai, Banking Regulations.
Abbas said the Selection Committee, under his leadership, tried its best to accommodate everyone. He, however, explained that it was not possible for everyone to be committee chairman or deputy.
He said: “The Selection Committee relied on the capacities, experiences, knowledge, competencies, skills and legislative interests of members in assigning colleagues to different committees. This, we did, to ensure that we have round pegs in round holes. Indeed, we had to cope with the onerous task of assigning members to the different committees on the basis of the criteria listed earlier.
“Nonetheless, I am not unmindful of the fact that in spite of the painstaking efforts of the Selection Committee in setting up these committees, not everybody will be satisfied in terms of choice of committees. I particularly carry a very heavy burden to appreciate members for their unanimous endorsement of my aspiration to lead this House.
“However, it is practically impossible to make every member a Committee Chairman or Vice Chairman. But, let me remind you that there are limitless opportunities within the House, and I assure you that we will provide these opportunities for every member desirous of service to so do.”