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The Deputy Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Mr Philip Agbese, has said the former Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, cannot take over the oversight duties of the parliament, even as Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
Agbese stated this on Wednesday in Abuja, in a reaction to a report in the media (not The PUNCH) which quoted him as saying that Gbajabiamila did nothing wrong for embarking on oversight visits to some government agencies.
Oversight of agencies is a role traditionally reserved for the National Assembly and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The report noted that so far, the Chief of Staff had visited the National Agricultural Land Development Authority, the Bureau of Public Procurement, the Bureau of Public Enterprises, the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure.
He was also reported to have visited the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, the National Emergency Management Agency and the National Hajj Commission.
The media report quoted that when Agbese was contacted, he said he found nothing wrong with the development, even as it quoted him as saying that the ex-speaker did not overstep his boundaries.
“What the Chief of Staff to Mr President is doing is not in any way in conflict with our mandate as a parliament.
“On our part, we encourage routine supervisory checks by members of the executive in their duties over agencies and departments that are directly under their control.
“Those visits are valuable because they provide firsthand information about the state of these agencies, which is often lacking. Gbajabiamila, being a product of the parliament, has demonstrated that institutional memory is crucial for the transformation of this country,” he was quoted as saying.
In an interview with journalists at the National Assembly Complex on Wednesday, Agbese, who represents Ado/Ogbadibo/Okpokwu Federal Constituency of Benue State, however, said he was quoted out of context.
“I did not say that the Chief of Staff to Mr President, Mr Gbajabiamila, can oversight government agencies and parastatals. That role can only be played by the National Assembly.
“Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), provide for the power of the National Assembly to investigate the performance of anyone or body charged with the responsibility of executing the laws enacted by the parliament.”
The lawmaker also said that Gbajabiamila was at liberty to visit government agencies, being a part of the executive arm, adding, however, that such visits could not take the place of the oversight duties of the parliament.
“What I told the press is that the visit of the Chief of Staff as part of the executive arm is okay but when it is called an oversight, it will conflict with the constitution. Courtesy visits are in order, but they should not be seen as oversight,” he clarified.
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