The House of Representatives has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to publish the handover notes of former President Goodluck Jonathan to the current administration, in the official gazette of the federation.
Hon. Uzoma Nkem-Abonta (Abia PDP) in a motion raised on the floor of the House Tuesday, said the publication is necessary to allow interested Nigerians and other residents access, for information and for record purposes.
He, however, noted that information restricted by law in the documents, can be excluded from the publication, but urged the provision of the notes to all members of the National Assembly to enable them determine individually or collectively, the state of the nation as at May 29, 2015.
Abonta argued that releasing the notes, which is a public document , is in line with the transparency and accountability mantra of the current administration.
Debating the motion, the Majority Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (Lagos APC), noted that the transparency and accountability claim of the motion cannot be faulted, adding that the House is empowered to ask for any document it needs.
He also suggested the formulation of a Transition Act that deals with the gamut of transition from one government to another as is done in a country like Kenya.
The Deputy Chief Whip, Hon. Pally Iriase (Edo APC), however disagreed on the premise that the sensitive security issues are likely contained in the handover note. He suggested that anyone who needs any portion of the notes can make a request through the Freedom of Information Act.
Minority Leader, Hon. Leo Ogor (Delta PDP), also supported making non-sensitive parts of the handover notes public, saying it could also serve as advisory for the current administration as it contains the challenges faced by the Jonathan government.
“It is about transparency, not about
investigation…main thing is at the end of the day, we all want this government to succeed as it is about the Nigerian people,” he said.
In a voice vote, the motion was unanimously passed by the House members.
Also, Speaker Dogara set up an ad hoc committee to investigate various allegations of shortchanging consumers by Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) in Nigeria.
The committee has three weeks to submit its findings.