Reps move to reduce number of committees

Bola Badmus, Abuja - 06.04.2008

House of Repre sentatives may trim the size of its standing committees to any figure below the current figure of 72 if the House Committee on Rules and Business should give attention to a proposal before it in form of a memoranda.

The committee headed by Hon. Ita Enang is currently reviewing the House rules in line with the responsibility thrust upon it by Speaker Oladimeji Bankole before the House went on recess a few days ago.

Findings by Sunday Tribune was that the committee had already been meeting while memoranda had been submitted by members as directed by the Speaker and the committee itself.

It was gathered that the committee which is working towards completing the exercise of reviewing the House rules and submitting its report immediately the House resumes from its current recess, is said to have been giving serious consideration to trimming the number of House committee from 72.

According to sources, the committee is said to be giving thought to reducing the number of standing committees in the House based on memoranda before it.

A source confided in Sunday Tribune that a memorandum is said to have suggested that the committees of the House should be tailored in line with the number of ministries available in the country, complaining that the present figure of 72 is unwieldy and a means of finding jobs for the boys.

It was learnt that those rooting for reduction in the number of committees had argued that the number of committees in advanced parliaments such as Britain, India, the United States and South Africa was between 16 and 25, urging the House of Representatives to emulate those countries by reducing its own figure from 72.

However, the actual number that is adequate for the House Committee on Rules and Business to adopt in its report to the plenary is said not to have been agreed upon.

But alongside the proposal, the committee is said to be giving consideration to the issue of streamlining and expanding the scope of some committees in terms of giving them wider jurisdictional powers that could fit into their names.