The Speaker of the Home of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has mentioned that the Inexperienced Chamber would quickly amend its personal Standing Guidelines to permit Nigerians ship their petitions to the Home through an e-platform.
He famous that this is able to be performed with a view to eliminating bottlenecks and simplifying the legislative dispute decision mechanism of the Home.
Talking through the commissioning of the digitalised Listening to Room of the Home Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the revealing of PAC Information Journal, Speaker Abbas famous the significance of ICT within the operations of the Home as encapsulated in its Legislative Agenda.
Tajudeen recommended the Hon. Bamidele Salam-led Public Accounts Committee of the Home for the improvements, which he mentioned would go a good distance in enhancing the actions of the committee.
“Incorporating Data and Communication Know-how (ICT) into the work of Public Accounts Committees (PACs) of parliaments is crucial for enhancing transparency, effectivity, and accountability within the oversight of public funds.
“Superior digital instruments and platforms streamline knowledge evaluation, facilitate real-time monitoring, and guarantee complete documentation of proceedings, thereby making the oversight course of simpler and accessible.
“The Nigerian Home of Representatives is deeply dedicated to this purpose, recognizing that leveraging expertise is essential for fostering good governance and inclusive participation. By investing in state-of-the-art digital infrastructure and repeatedly updating our technological capabilities, we intention to set a benchmark in legislative excellence and responsiveness to the wants of the Nigerian individuals,” he mentioned.
Abbas disclosed that the innovation being carried out by PAC can be replicated within the Home Committee on Public Petitions, with an modification to the Home Standing Orders with the view to giving extra and simpler entry to the general public to interact with the legislature with their complaints, simply because the latter by its Committee can cope with identical and resolve public disputes.
“In keeping with the above, the Home will start the method of amending its Standing Orders to accommodate e-petitions and facilitate using Data and Communication Know-how (ICT) in receiving and processing public petitions. This transformative step might be first of its sort in Nigeria and can allow extra environment friendly, clear, and accessible petition procedures, permitting residents to interact with the legislative course of extra successfully.
“By integrating ICT, we intention to make sure that each voice may be heard and thought of promptly, thus reinforcing our dedication to a responsive and accountable governance system that really serves the pursuits of the Nigerian individuals.
“The digitalised listening to room is now outfitted with superior applied sciences and sources, together with complete authorized references such because the Legal guidelines of the Federation of Nigeria (1960-2024), Monetary Laws (2009), and the Procurement Act, amongst different related legal guidelines. This room options a big good display screen multimedia and different technical gadgets to facilitate e-hearings, thereby rising effectivity, making certain speedy consideration of circumstances, and selling the efficient supply of our constitutional mandates,” the Speaker mentioned.
He additionally recommended the management of the Committee for its thought means of developing with a Information journal that’s geared towards disseminating factual and correct details about the actions of the Committee.
“The PAC Information Journal will foster a sustained relationship with the media, civil society, and stakeholders, making certain that the work of the Home and PAC is accessible and comprehensible to a broader viewers. It can present a platform for sharing information, finest practices, and classes discovered, in addition to preserving the digital footprints of the Committee’s oversight actions to information future endeavours,” the speaker mentioned.
Earlier in his welcome deal with, the chairman of the Home Public Accounts Committee, Hon. Bamidele Salam, mentioned the newly Digitalised Listening to Room and ‘The PAC Information’, a quarterly journal of the Committee, had been a part of the actions marking the primary anniversary of the tenth Home of Representatives below the management of Speaker Abbas Tajudeen.
“These landmark improvements mark a major step ahead in our quest to assist the tenth Home of Representatives’ imaginative and prescient of open parliament by transparency, digitalization, and residents’ engagement, in keeping with agenda 1 (Strengthening Good Governance) and 6 (Inclusion and Open Parliament) of the Individuals’s Home’s Legislative Agenda.
“This digitalised listening to room, outfitted with digital applied sciences equivalent to laptops with over 100 sources, limitless web services, large-screen multimedia, and different technical gadgets for e-hearing, represents a significant milestone in our committee’s historical past. I’m proud to say that we at the moment are higher outfitted to discharge our constitutional mandate with better effectivity and effectiveness,” Hon. Salam said.
He mentioned the platform would allow PAC to conduct digital hearings and conferences, decreasing the necessity for bodily presence and rising attain and accessibility, and entry and evaluate paperwork and items of proof submitted/introduced by Ministries, Departments and Companies (MDAs) of presidency electronically, streamlining the evaluate course of and decreasing paperwork.
