Reps unveil legislative agenda, list six priority areas

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Reps unveil legislative agenda, list six priority areas

The 10th House of Representatives has released its six-point legislative agenda to drive progress, prosperity and inclusivity across the country.

The House Leader and Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on Legislative Agenda, Julius Ihonvbere, announced the agenda on Monday in Abuja.

He listed the agenda as economic empowerment and diversification; infrastructure development; education; and human capital development.

Others are health care for all, transparent governance, accountability, and security and safety of persons and property as well as economic empowerment and diversification.

Ihonvbere said the agenda would be the fulcrum upon which the 10th Assembly’s operation would be based.

He said one of the House’s foremost goals would be to drive economic empowerment and diversification to address Nigeria’s over-reliance on oil exports.

According to him, the National Assembly will incentivise investments in non-oil sectors, such as agriculture, technology and renewable energy.

“In the agriculture sector, we will pass legislation to modernise farming practices, improve access to credit for farmers, and support agricultural research and development,” he said.

Ihonvbere added that the Green Chamber would explore opportunities in agro-processing to add value to the country’s agricultural produce and create more jobs.

He said, “In the technology and innovation space, we will foster an environment that encourages start-ups, nurtures innovation hubs, and incentivises research and development.

“Our overall goals are job creation, higher foreign exchange earnings, new skills development, diversification of exports and strengthening and deepening our technological foundations.”

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that some of the stakeholders that contributed to the agenda are the Nigeria Union of Teachers and the Federal Ministry of Health.