Dajoh steers Benue Assembly to higher pedestal in one year
By Titus Atondu, Makurdi
The 31 members of the 10th Benue State House of Assembly (BSHOA) have unanimously decided to cue behind the humble, vibrant and goal-getting Speaker Rt. Hon. Hyacinth Aondona Dajoh turn around the fortunes of the assembly for the overall good of the people and the state at large.
Hon. Dajoh who knows the road to the assembly made the disclosure while fielding questions from Nigerian NewsDirect, revealing that members have decided to give him their collective backing to deliver on their responsibility of quality legislation making for the betterment of the state and their constituents.
Contained in a text of an address by the Honourable Speaker, Hon. Aondona Dajoh and read at the plenary to mark the end of the first legislative session of the 10th Benue Assembly.
The Speaker also the vice chairman North Central, Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria enumerated some of the modest achievements recorded in the assembly under his leadership to include; receipt of 27 bills were 18 of the bills were passed into laws while 6 of the bills are at various committee’s levels and 3 pending.
The house according to the Speaker also received 20 reports, out of which 17 of the reports were conclusively debated upon, the house received and deliberated on 52 substantive motions and adopted 95 major resolutions during the period under review.
The house also received 9 major communications including a request to confirm 17 commissioner nominees in the state executive council, 23 nominees for appointment as chairmen, local government caretaker committees and to approve the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), from 2024 to 2026.
Dajoh explained that it was instructive to note that the confirmation of the Governor’s commissioner nominee’s is a constitutional requirement without which the executive arm of government can not be properly constituted.
“To put the machinery of government in motion, the house expeditiously approved these appointments and that of Special Advisers to enable the Governor to have a formidable team to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of the state. In the similar vein, the house screened and confirmed the chairman and members of the State Independent Electoral Commission to set the stage for the conduct of local government elections and give impetus to the autonomy of the third tier of government in the state,” Speaker maintained.
The Speaker also revealed that the 2024 Financing and Appropriation bills were passed before the December 31, 2023 deadline as a mark of the 10th assembly commitment and support to the executive arm of government to succeed on her numerous responsibilities.
Some of the landmark legislations passed by the house according to Mr. Speaker include; A law to repeal the maintenance of former elected Governors of the state and their Deputies law, 2023, The Benue State Civil Protection Guard (Establishment) law, 2024 and The Benue State Youth Development Commission (Establishment) law 2024.
Dajoh explained that the repeal of the maintenance of former Governors and their Deputies law became necessary to ease the huge financial burden it heaped on the lean resources of the state as well as the Civil Protection Guards Establishment law, is a response to the state’s coordinated approach to permanently end insecurity in the state so that Benue farmers can access their ancestral homes to continue with their farming activities known for to feed the state and the nation at large.
The Speaker further explained that the passage of the law to establish the Youth Development Commission is in recognition of the importance of the youth in the society.
“It is meant to provide a platform by which the interest of the Benue Youth is projected and promoted through training, credit facilities and gainful employment. The objectives of the Commission when implemented will end youth restiveness and help to achieve the Rev. Fr. Alia-led administration’s dream of a peaceful Benue.”
He also disclosed the key motions moved by the house are motions to draw attention of the executive arm of government and the security agencies to the insecurity within and around Benue state on which resolutions have been conveyed accordingly.
“Closely related is the motion to give conditional acceptance to the Federal Government Proposed Resettlement Homes for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state. The importance of this motion is to prevent foreigners from hijacking the resettlement homes at the expense of the indigenous people,” the Speaker explained.
