He made this appeal during a stakeholder session organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Specialty Healthcare to discuss the prioritization and implementation of the Mental Health Act.

Obindo criticized the establishment of National Counseling Centers as premature given that attempted suicide remains a criminal offense under both the Criminal Act and the Penal Code.

“The first step would be a move to decriminalize attempted suicide. Criminalizing attempted suicide has proven to be a major barrier for suicide prevention intervention service uptake,” he stated.

He explained that the current law, inherited from colonial rule, fails to address the underlying thoughts and social determinants of suicide.

He noted that significant evidence shows 90% of individuals who commit suicide have a history of mental health conditions, with 80% attributable to depression.

“Why do we, as a nation, punish individuals who are ill and need medical attention rather than prosecution? Nigeria is lagging behind as many neighboring nations have abrogated that law,” Obindo added.

He also pointed out the risk to counselors under the current law, as it prescribes penalties for those aware of a suicide plan but who do not report it.

Obindo emphasized the need for the effective implementation of the Mental Health Act, which was legislated and signed into law in 2022.

He called for the establishment of a Mental Health Services Department in the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), noting that more than a year after the Act’s passage, the department has yet to be established.

Dr. Alex Egbona, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Specialty Healthcare, echoed Obindo’s sentiments and called for stakeholder partnerships to address mental health challenges and other related health issues.

Egbona highlighted the committee’s role in providing legislative frameworks for improved healthcare delivery and urged support from all relevant institutions and organizations.

The session aimed to share the committee’s mandate and planned activities, focusing on five thematic areas: Mental Health, Trauma and Obstetrics Fistula, Oral Health and ENT, Blood Transfusion, and Traditional Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Egbona solicited the collaboration of development partners, international NGOs, and CSOs to enhance the committee’s effectiveness.

In response to a motion of urgent public importance moved by the House Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda (PDP Rivers), and 359 others, the House directed the CBN to withdraw the ambiguous circular and issue a clear directive in line with the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act, 2024.

The Green Chamber also mandated its Committees on Banking Regulations, and Banking and other Ancillary Institutions to provide proper guidance to the CBN.

Chinda, in moving the motion, highlighted that the CBN’s circular dated 6th May 2024 informed Nigerians of a proposed 0.5% levy on electronic transactions in accordance with Section 44(2)(a) of the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act, 2024.

He emphasized that the wording of the CBN circular allows for multiple interpretations, including the possibility of the levy being paid by bank customers, contrary to the provisions of the Cybercrimes Act.

Chinda expressed concern over the apprehension generated by this move, with Civil Society Organisations and citizens calling for a reversal of the “imposed levy on Nigerians” among other things.

He argued that unless immediate steps are taken to suspend the proposed action of the CBN, the Cybercrime Act risks being implemented erroneously, exacerbating the economic challenges faced by Nigerians.

As a result, the House of Representatives has directed the CBN to suspend the implementation of the cybercrime levy and to issue a clear, unambiguous directive in line with the Cybercrimes Act.

The motion was initiated by Anamero Dekeri, the representative for Etsako Federal Constituency, Edo State, who suggested that JAMB, WAEC, and NECO examination bodies provide free registration for the 2023–2024 exams.

Dekeri’s motion aimed to address the financial challenges faced by low-income parents in funding their children’s education, especially when it came to paying for examination fees.

He urged his fellow lawmakers to influence the Ministry of Education to declare the 2023 and 2024 WAEC, NECO, and JAMB registrations as free, allowing the common man to benefit from fuel subsidy removal palliatives.

Additionally, he called for a comprehensive framework from the Minister of Finance, Budget, Economic and Financial Planning to ensure that the less privileged masses felt a sense of belonging in Nigeria.

House Leader Julius Ihonvbere supported the motion by suggesting that members take responsibility for sponsoring examination fees in at least one public secondary school, particularly one they attended. He viewed this as a form of corporate social responsibility.

However, Hassan Doguwa, the representative for Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency, Kano State, cautioned against mandating lawmakers to pay examination fees, although he recognized the motion’s merit.

Another concern arose when Awaji-Inombek Abiante, the representative for Andoni/Opobo Nkoro in Rivers State, questioned the use of the word “compel” in the motion’s title.

He pointed out that the House lacked the constitutional authority to compel examination bodies to provide free registration, and he raised the issue of fairness among public schools in the same constituency.

Ultimately, when the motion went to a vote, the majority of lawmakers present in Wednesday’s plenary chose to set it aside. The Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen, sealed the decision with a gavel strike, and the motion did not proceed.

He made this call on Thursday during a public lecture commemorating Nigeria’s 63rd Independence Anniversary held at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja.

Speaker Tajudeen also emphasized the importance of strengthening the existing collaboration among the various branches of government to ensure the delivery of democratic dividends to Nigerians.

The event featured a lecture on the “Renewed Hope Agenda” of the Tinubu administration, with the theme, ‘Actualizing the vision of renewed hope for socio-economic development through effective leadership.’

Dr. Goke Adegoroye, a guest speaker, praised President Bola Tinubu for the steps taken so far to reposition governance and reset the economy. He encouraged the administration to prioritize key aspects of the Renewed Hope Agenda to ensure its positive impact across different sectors of the economy.

Meanwhile, Vice President Sen. Kashim Shettima assured Nigerians that their sacrifices would not be in vain.

He stated that the promises made by the Tinubu administration would be fulfilled, emphasizing the commitment to build a nation where every citizen’s economic independence is guaranteed, eliminating the need for unspecified handouts to make a living.

In his address, Vice President Shettima acknowledged Nigeria’s journey over the past 63 years and highlighted the nation’s resilience and unity that have defied doomsayers.

He stressed the importance of delivering on promises to the Nigerian people and fostering economic growth, job creation, and national security.

The Vice President concluded by underlining the role of leadership and the commitment to achieving the nation’s ultimate national interests, including upholding the rule of law and fighting corruption to design the Nigeria of their dreams.

This came after the House Committee on Power’s report was approved in plenary on Wednesday.

Rep. Magaji Da’u Aliyu, the committee chairman, who delivered the report, noted that the budget was comprised of N2.82 billion in overhead expenses, N867.80 billion in personnel costs, and N91.56 billion in capital expenditures.

A member from Jigawa State, Abubakar Yalleman, had moved the motion on Tuesday during the plenary at the green chamber of the National Assembly in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

He prayed the House to urge the Federal Government to restrict the ban to local governments where banditry and terrorism were rife.

The lawmaker believes a total ban will negatively affect the well-being and welfare of the common Nigerians if palliative measures are not put in place to ease its effect.

After making his case, the Deputy Speaker of the House, Idris Wase, who presided over the plenary, however, prevailed upon Yalleman to step it down.

He said he appreciated the motion but appealed to the lawmakers to cooperate with the executive arm of government in the fight against insecurity.

On Thursday last week, the National Security Council said it was considering a nationwide ban on motorcycles and mining activities as part of a strategy to curb terrorist activities, checkmate loopholes, and cut off their sources of funding.

According to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, investigations are ongoing, especially to establish the correlation between mining and motorcycles which the government suspects provide funding for the supply of arms to terrorists.

He stated that the criminals had moved from the conventional ways of funding their activities to mining and ransom taking, adding that the government was not unaware of the economic consequences of the proposed resolutions which he said have become imperative to guarantee the nation’s security.

Terrorist groups, especially in Nigeria, are increasingly interested in controlling areas of production of gold.

The opportunistic nature of these activities ties strongly to the fact that gold is often the favoured mineral of the terrorist groups as many of them use it to secure a source of funding for future operations.

The bill, sponsored by Babajimi Benson from Lagos, seeks to increase the retirement age from 65 to 70 years or 40 years of service, whichever comes first.

The bill is also seeking to ensure that the Chairman of the National Commission for Persons Living with Disability is someone also living with a disability.

Leading the debate on the bill, Benson said the bill will ensure that persons living with disabilities are fairly treated to ensure equity and justice.

He noted that “employment rates of persons with disabilities are substantially lower than the rates for persons without disabilities in Nigeria.”

Benson said the bill seeks to “give them more opportunities, not only to fully give their services to the country but to also benefit more from the government and live a reasonable life after retirement.”

Opposing the bill, Tajudeen Yusuf said the bill will discriminate against other workers.

Despite the opposition, the bill scaled second reading as Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila defended the bill.

The motion was moved by representative Ahmed Munir during plenary on Thursday.

Adopting the motion, the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila ordered the Majority Leader of the House, Hassan Ado Dogwa, to depart for Ukraine to coordinate the evacuation of Nigerians no later than Monday.

“Time is of the essence. A state of emergency has been declared, I listened to the news yesterday, even America said it’s not going to be bloodless. We should be more proactive and I think it’s better late than never. It’s important that at this point to forget all the bureaucratic bottlenecks, and look out for our citizens, especially students.

“Whatever it’s going to cost the House, you (Ado Dogwa) need to leave this country latest tomorrow and come back on Monday with many of our students,” he said.

Recall that Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier announced on Thursday a military operation in Ukraine with explosions heard soon after across the country and its foreign minister warning that a “full-scale invasion” was underway.

Members of the House of Representatives made this call on Thursday at the plenary in the green chamber of the National Assembly in Abuja.

Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson, had raised the matter while addressing his colleagues in the lower house.

The call by the lawmakers to proscribe bandits and their sponsors comes a day after their counterparts in the Senate chamber took a similar stand.

“The Senate on Wednesday, 29th September 2021 adopted a motion asking President Muhammadu Buhari to declare bandits ravaging the northern part of the country terrorists and wage a total war on them,” the lawmaker told his colleagues.

“They also asked that the President declare all known leaders of bandits wanted and arrest them, wherever they were found for speedy prosecution. Such declaration to be done through a Proscription Order can be done pursuant to Section 2 of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2011 (As Amended).

“I would like to echo the same sentiment and ask honourable colleagues to join the Senate in urging Mr President to declare bandits and their sponsors as terrorists. This will underline the determination of the government to combat the wave of criminality and murders conducted by bandits all over the country.”

Benson explained that declaring bandits as terrorists could be done through a proscription order, to serve as a source of inspiration for security personnel to redouble their efforts towards dealing with the threat.

For him, such declaration – when given the force of law – will renew the resolve of the security personnel in dealing with the menace of banditry, saying the mode of operations and rules of engagement would be scaled up accordingly.

“Declaration of all bandits as terrorists may also encourage other countries to do same and help create a global consensus around dealing with transnational factors that feed the domestic activities of such proscribed organisations and individuals,” he said.

“As previously observed in this House, no [single] action can be a silver bullet to solving our insecurity in Nigeria. But a collection of many effective actions and strategies can bring safety. It is in this spirit that I speak today.

“Insecurity in Nigeria requires an all-of-government approach. Hence, I also urge the President to implement the recommendations of the National Security Summit, which took place in June this year and was officially delivered to Mr President in July. All hands have to be on deck to be able to win this battle against insecurity in all its manifestations.”