N’Assembly invites Buhari over economic recession

The National Assembly has passed a motion to invite President Muhammadu Buhari to address the legislature on efforts being made by his administration to resolve the current economic recession.


The Senate, on Thursday, passed the motion in concurrence with the House of Representatives, which had earlier on September 22, 2016, resolved to constitute an ad hoc committee to liaise with the Upper Chamber, with a view to inviting the President to brief a joint session of the National Assembly on the current economic downturn.

The motion partly read, “That the Senate do concur with the House of Representatives’ resolution passed on Thursday, 22nd of September, 2016, to wit: to invite the President and Commander-in-Chief to address a joint session of the National Assembly to intimate it on plans to get the country out of the recession to enable the House to take further legislative action.”

The Senate unanimously passed the motion when the President, Senator Bukola Saraki, took the vote.

The National Assembly is expected to officially communicate the invitation to the President soon.

Also, the House of Representatives on Thursday backed the Senate, asking President Buhari to forward an economic stimulus bill to the National Assembly on how to lead the nation out of the current recession.

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Rules / Business, Mr. Orker Jev, told The PUNCH that a clean copy of the resolution would reach Buhari next week.

He did not give a specific date, but gave the assurance that the resolution would reach him.

On when Buhari would come to the National Assembly, Jev replied, “Well, that is left to the President to decide. That is not our decision.”

At its sitting on Thursday presided over by Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, the House adopted the Senate resolution on the economy, which read, “The Executive should, as a matter of urgency, prepare an Economic Stimulus Bill containing all the Fiscal stimulus packages, investments and incentives deigned to pull the country out of recession, to the National Assembly for accelerated consideration.

“The House took the decision following a motion moved by a member, Olayiwola Kazzim (All Progressives Congress/Ogun State) and titled, ‘Urgent Need to Address the Economic Downturn in Nigeria.”

The House, after a two-hour debate by about 30 lawmakers on the recession, agreed that Buhari should brief the legislature on the efforts by his administration to take the country out of the economic crisis.