The House of Representatives resumed plenary session on Tuesday , January28, 2020 after five weeks recess.
The Speaker of the House, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila in his welcome address recalled the success achieved by the 9th Assembly in passing the budget into law within the shortest time ever since the inception of the Legislative in 1999 and also urged members not to relent as the task ahead is enormous.
He further said the House will take all necessary action to pass Petroleum Industry bill (PIB) and also implement the much needed and long–delayed reforms of the sector.
In his address, the speaker proposed that the House should dedicate a special Plenary Session with a view to consider the issue of millions of out of school children in Nigeria with special focus on the fate of Almajiri children. The plenary will be an open session for deliberation and solutions with various relevant MDAs and organisation.
He noted that according to The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) about 10.5millions of our nation’s children between age 5 and 14 years are not in school, likewise Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) put the number as 13.2 million. These out of school children are at the risk of exploitation, vulnerable to recruitment by human and organ traffickers, criminals and insurgents.
Hon. Gbajabiamila said these millions of young people with neither training nor the means to survive or to benefit from 21st century knowledge economy are victims of broken promises of our Nationhood.
Olalere taiwo
For: Head of press
Office of the special assistant to the president on national assembly matters- Reps
