The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to double efforts on mining and electricity generation and supply in the country. He made the appeal on Thursday after the president addressed a joint session of the National Assembly in commemoration of the June 12 democracy day.
He charged President Tinubu to tackle the epileptic electricity supply in the country with clear cut policies on energy diversification.
In what sounded as a challenge to the president, Abbas urged Tinubu to confront the ills bedeviling the power sector the same way he took drastic and decisive measures that led to the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of foreign exchange market.
Addressing the president, Abbas said, “Mr President, I would be remiss in my responsibility to you if I concluded my brief remarks without also offering some useful recommendations on the way forward.
“You have demonstrated remarkable resolve in removing the fuel subsidy and allowing the Naira to float. Now, we require an equally decisive intervention in our power sector.
“While progress is evident, it is time to ‘wave your magic wand’ once more: to break the cycle of underperformance by shifting from an over-reliance on thermal and hydroelectricity to a diversified energy mix.
“We must embrace renewable and clean energy sources, such as solar, wind, and even nuclear, to ensure a reliable and
sustainable national grid. If anyone can do this, Mr. President, IT IS YOU!”
On the ongoing constitution review, the Speaker hinted at finalising the exercise by December, as he urged state governors and other stakeholders to work toward delivering the process.
Listing key areas in the constitution amendment, the Speaker said, “Some of our priorities include special reserved seats for women, formal constitutional roles for traditional rulers, and legal backing for a 35% affirmative-action gender policy.
“We appeal to the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and the Progressive Governors’ Forum to advocate for these essential reforms at the state level.”
The Reps Speaker also urged the President to intensify actions in developing the solid minerals sector, saying it’s an essential step in the country’s economic diversification drive.
“While we have some existing geological data, it lacks the precision and quality needed to support large-scale exploration. To complement executive
actions, the House of Representatives will immediately commence an urgent review of the 2007 Mining Act to allow sub national entities to operate within the profitable limits of the law while enhancing oversight and mitigating security risks.
“If pursued with discipline and clarity, these reforms will position solid minerals as a strategic pillar of our national economy,” Abbas said.
The Speaker expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for “substantially augmenting our capacity to respond to the needs of our constituents.”
Although the Speaker did not specify the areas where the President substantially augmented the capacity of the lawmakers, many believe he was referring to the reported significant increase in the lawmakers’ constituency allowance.
