REPS MOB DEPUTY SPEAKER OVER DICTATORIAL CONDUCT

Deputy
Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, yesterday escaped a
physical attack by his colleagues for what they considered his faulty ruling on
a bill under consideration.

The lawmakers, who accused the deputy speaker of “dictatorship”,
had charged at him after he stepped out of chambers, brandishing clenched fists
in his face before he was spirited away by aides.

The drama had begun on the floor of the House where the angry
lawmakers accused Ihedioha of making “a skewed and dictatorial” ruling on a
“Bill to Amend the Industrial Training Fund Act of 1971.”

The bill, sponsored by Hon. Chudi Uwazuruike (PDP-Imo), seeks to
amend the Industrial Training Fund, ITF, empowering it to design, set up and
operate guidelines for the training and certification nationwide at state,
local government and ward levels and to establish area registries for
maintaining up-to-date registers of certified artisans and technicians in all
fields and in all parts of the federation.

The sponsor of the bill argued that if passed into law, the
legislation would set standards for artisans to expand the scope of industries.

But as soon as the sponsor rested his arguments, majority of the
members began to oppose the bill.

The opponents argued that the National Directorate of
Employment, NDE, was already doing what the bill sought and, therefore, it was
unnecessary and a waste of the parliament’s time to consider its referral to
the committee for a public hearing and third reading.

When Ihedioha called twice for voice votes on the bill after an
exhaustive debate, and the opposing voices drowned the voices for it, the
deputy speaker gave it to those in favour, sparking an uproar.

Ihedioha, however, gave the ruling after a brief consultation
with the deputy clerk.

Hon. Ali Madaki (PDPKano), who led the onslaught against the
deputy speaker, had raised a point of order, reminding him that according to
the House Standing Rules, in a situation like that, the presiding officer
should have divided the chamber, but Ihedioha ignored the point of order and
ruled that “this bill has been referred to the Committee on Industries.”

The protests against his ruling by a majority did not dissuade
Ihedioha who went ahead and move for the adjournment of the plenary session as
the lawmakers stormed out and ambushed him at the exit.

Hon. Tijjani Abdullahi Jobe (PDP-Kano), who led the lawmakers,
charged at Ihedioha saying: “You cannot continue this type of attitude in this
House. You have to respect our opinion because we are all representatives of
the people.”

The lawmakers, who supported the bill, including Hon. Friday
Itulah (PDP-Edo), Hon. Patrick Ikhariale (PDP-Edo), Hon. Sekonte Davies (PDP-
Rivers) and the sponsor of the bill, Uwazuruike tried to intervene, but Hon.
Aisha Ahmed (PDP- Adamawa) who also opposed the bill on the floor said: “We
cannot sit here all day and our opinion will not be taken into consideration by
the presiding officer. “Nobody was elected as presiding officer from his
constituency; we all voted here on the floor. This is bad and it has to stop,”
she said.

The deputy speaker walked past them, but as he was leaving the
main building, otherwise known as the White House, for his office in the new
building, he was once again blocked by his angry colleagues who told him
pointedly that they were displeased with his handling of the matter on the
floor.

At this point, Ihedioha descended into the arena and shouted at
his colleagues saying: “Keep shut! keep shut! Your input motives in everything
we do on the floor of the House. We don’t have any interest in this bill.”

But the lawmakers replied: “The way things are done in this
House is wrong, you cannot continue to treat us this way.”

At this point, the deputy speaker, who was still fuming in anger
shouted again: “Don’t portray us in the way we are not.”