They are also pushing for an amendment to establish a single six-year tenure for the President and Governors of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Ikenga Ugochinyere, representing Ideato South/Ideato North Federal Constituency in Imo State, who spoke on behalf of the group on Monday in Abuja, “The reduction in government spending and wastage, efficiency in governance, and national stability by providing a single term of six years for the President and Governors,” will go a long way in cost-cutting measures.”

Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, represented by Deputy Speaker Rep., Benjamin Kalu, announced the partnership on Thursday in Abuja, highlighting its aim to support the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill and the Bill on Women’s Parliamentary Seats.

Abbas emphasized the importance of extending advocacy beyond the parliament to rural areas, helping constituents understand the benefits of greater female representation.

He called for capacity building and sensitization efforts to encourage women to support female candidates and contribute to national development.

UN Women’s Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong, noted the current underrepresentation of women in Nigeria’s National Assembly and federal cabinet.

She stressed the need for Nigeria to improve its standing in women’s representation in governance and reaffirmed UN Women’s commitment to this cause.

“This is the challenge we must all work together to surmount.” Eyong said, expressing confidence in the partnership’s potential to foster significant change.

During the plenary session, lawmakers passed a bill for the first reading to establish Orlu State.

The bill, sponsored by Ikenga Ugochinyere of Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency in Imo State, among others, aims to amend the 1999 Constitution to increase the number of states from 36 to 37.

Orlu State will be formed from parts of Imo, Abia, and Anambra States, with Orlu as its capital.

The proposed state will include 28 local government areas, such as Orlu, Orsu, Oru West, Ideato North, and Njaba, among others.

Ugochinyere appealed to his colleagues for support to ensure the bill’s passage through a second reading.

He emphasized that the creation of Orlu State would lead to the formation of Ideato as a senatorial district. Currently, the South-East has five states, the fewest among Nigeria’s regions.

The bill’s progression aligns with other regional demands, like the South-West’s push for Oke-Ogun State, which would equalize state numbers with the North-West.

The resolution, prompted by a motion from Mr. Isa Ali, highlights the need for a review of the National Minimum Wage Act of 2019, stressing changed circumstances since its enactment.

Contributions from members underscore the urgency for a realistic living wage and redirecting negotiations with labour unions.

He said, “The National Assembly repealed and enacted the National Minimum Wage Act 2019 to fix the minimum wage at N30,000 even when the executive arm had suggested N27,000 at the time.

“In line with Section 3(4) of the Act, the extant minimum wage which commenced on April 18, 2019, has expired after five years on April 18, 2024, thereby calling for a further review of the existing Act.

He further argued that the payment of N35,000 wage award to public servants as a way of cushioning the effect of the economic hardship in the country has not addressed the challenges faced by Nigerian workers.

Contributing to the debate, House Minority Leader, Kinglsey Chinda urged the parliament to pass a New Wage Act speedingly in the manner the National Anthem Bill was passed a fortnight ago.

He said, “Section 14 of the constitution provides for the security and welfare of the people. Can we say we have carried out that function of governance? Can we say we have provided security and welfare for Nigerians? The answer is NO!

“In Nigeria, it appears life now equates to one minute of silence. Workers are crying about their salaries as it is no longer possible to live on N50,000 a month. Yet, we expect them to earn this serve us. We must provide living wages for the workers. We can’t shy away from living wages while talking about minimum wage.

“I want to say that we should pass a New Wage Act with the speed we passed the National Anthem Act,” adding that even if the President fails to sign it, the parliament can veto the Act.

“Let us recall the Minimum Wage Act and pass it and if the president refuses to sign, then we override him,” he added.

Leading the debate, Julius Ihonvbere, the bill’s sponsor, emphasized the need for patriotism and nationalism as reasons for reverting to the old anthem.

However, opposition arose from Peoples Democratic Party member Chinda, who argued that the old anthem is a colonial relic unsuitable for post-independence Nigeria.

His view was backed by Ahmad Satomi, representing Jere Federal Constituency, Borno State.

Conversely, Ahmed Jaha, another lawmaker from Borno, supported the bill, contending that the current anthem’s lyrics lack substantive relevance to Nigeria’s affairs.

This resolution followed a vote on a motion moved by Esosa Iyawe on Wednesday during plenary.

In his motion, Mr Iyawe said civil servants in states across the country do not have offices while the government has properties seized through permanent forfeiture.

“In a bid to reduce high expenditure on rent and office buildings in 2017, the Federal Government converted landed properties seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for office use by some Agencies of Government, thus saving the country about N180 billion.

“Concerned that Government Agencies operating in States across the country are experiencing challenges in finding office accommodation due to difficulties in paying rent,” he said.

Consequently, the House resolved to urge the Federal Government to renovate and convert permanently forfeited lands and buildings into offices for Federal Government Agencies operating from rented offices.

This call follows the adoption of a motion by Rep. Mohammed Shehu (PDP-Bauchi) during the plenary on Wednesday.

The House also urged the ministry to implement routine checks to ensure continuity, compliance by medical personnel, and the sustainability of childbirth processes.

Rep. Shehu highlighted that public healthcare institutions were established to provide medical services to the public, equipped with modern medical facilities, and supplied with necessary drugs.

Despite healthcare services not being restricted to pregnant women, he noted that efforts to encourage free treatment for expectant mothers have not been fully realized.

Considering Nigeria’s fertility statistics, Shehu emphasized the need for free medical treatment for pregnant women to boost the country’s fertility rate.

He pointed out that Nigeria faces high disease rates, leading to an annual maternal mortality rate due to pregnancy complications and the polio virus.

He stressed the importance of having public healthcare institutions staffed with medical professionals who can provide adequate attention to patients, including pregnant women, during childbirth to address complications and find permanent solutions.

“There is a need for the government to prioritise policy actions aimed at improving healthcare delivery systems, particularly for pregnant women, to alleviate their hardships and boost their confidence,” Shehu said.

In his ruling, Deputy Speaker Rep. Benjamin Kalu mandated the Committee on Healthcare Services and Healthcare Institutions to liaise with the Minister of Health and Social Welfare to ensure compliance.

The committee is to report back within four weeks for further legislative action.

Additionally, it has summoned the Minister of Petroleum Resources over the current fuel scarcity.

These decisions were reached following the adoption of separate motions moved by Shehu Ajilo and Kama Nkem Karama on Tuesday.

NERC had ordered the increment in tariff while the lawmakers were on holiday. Meanwhile, fuel scarcity is ravaging the entire country due to the inability of NNPC Limited to provide products to marketers.

Shehu Ajilo moved the motion on petroleum scarcity, and it was taken without debate.

The House ordered that the Minister of Petroleum Resources must appear before the House.

Meanwhile, Nkemkanma moved the motion to suspend the electricity tariff hike.

The House directed that the Minister of Power should appear before a special committee to probe the hike.

Both motions were adopted without debate.

This was just as he said clamours in some quarters for the reopening of borders were unnecessary as Nigerians should be preoccupied with how to produce what Nigerians consume rather than dependence on foreign-produced goods.

The lawmaker representing Ado/Irepodun-Ifelodun Local Government Areas of Ekiti State in the National Assembly spoke during a chat with journalists in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State capital on Tuesday.

He said, “Re-opening the borders will not solve the economic crisis the nation has found itself, but it will rather cripple the country. I am not an advocate or a supporter of opening of our borders for foreign goods to be brought into our country.

“Let us endure whatever situation we find ourselves in. We should be able to produce what we eat and if there are things we cannot produce, let us call on the experts from those countries to come and put us through so that we can do them ourselves and we pay those experts off rather than allowing all manners of junks finding their way into our country.”

The federal lawmaker urged state governments to look into programmes that would improve the people’s living standards, saying, “If the federal and state governments can empower the average Nigerian through incentives that will boost massive production at the local level, the economy of Nigeria will be back in no distant time.”

On the rising prices of foodstuffs despite the naira gaining value against the dollar, Fatoba said it was the duty of the government to regulate prices of goods and services in the market at a time like this.

“Appropriate government agencies should be up and doing in ensuring the prices of goods and services are regulated. It is only in Nigeria that whenever the prices of goods and services go up, down becomes difficult unless it’s forced.

“That is why even though Naira is gaining, prices of food keep skyrocketing. But if Nigeria can regulate the prices then we can have a stable and unified price of these things in the market,” he said.

Fatoba added, “If the manufacturing sector is encouraged, it will ease the burden on an average Nigerian. The government should invest massively in agriculture, let us subsidize equipment and staple crops more. We can give out tractors, chemicals, crops and other equipment needed that will enhance farmers’ productivity.

“We should also encourage our artisans to produce those things we need and once we can have them in large quantities, the majority of the challenges facing our country will be solved.

“We also have to plug the loopholes in the economy, money should not just disappear without traces. All these should be accurately accounted for so that it stays in the economy and further stabilizes the economy.”

Fatoba, who hailed the ongoing flyover project in Ekiti State capital, said, “The bridge is necessary to ease movement in the affected area. If you are familiar with the area where the bridge is being constructed, you will know that there is always a bottleneck there when it comes to the movement of goods and services.

“It will add more value to the economy of the state, and by the time the airport is in operation, definitely it is going to enhance the movement of goods and services within that axis. Those coming and going out of the capital will have easy access to neighbouring states and communities. So, to me, it’s a good initiative.”

Recall that the NERC recently approved a 200 per cent tariff increment for Band A consumers, allowing power distribution companies to raise electricity prices for city dwellers from N68 to N225 per kilowatt-hour with effect from April 1, 2024.

The minority leader, Rep. Kingsley Chinda, said this in a statement on Friday in Abuja, calling it insensitive, inhuman, and uncalled for.

He said such an abrupt increase placed an unbearable burden on the already strained populace, exacerbating economic hardships and widening the chasm of inequality among the citizenry.

“Such a hike, which is over 200 per cent above the rate of inflation, utterly disregards the plight of ordinary citizens, who are grappling with the adverse effects of the removal of oil subsidy,” he said.

According to him, the citizenry had been faced with galloping inflation, unemployment, and inadequate access to basic amenities.

“We note that in the immediate aftermath of the announcement of the tariff hike, NERC claimed that the hike affects only 12 per cent of electricity consumers who enjoy a minimum of 20 hours of electricity a day.

“The truth has become stark that this is stark lie. The hike, from data put out by the DISCOS, affects all electricity consumers,” he added.