Adamawa Assembly Commends IRI, Seeks Extension of Stay

By Usman Umar Sahabi

The Adamawa State House of Assembly has passed a vote of confidence on the International Republican Institute (IRI) for their positive contributions to legislative activities in the state.

The Assembly appealed for the extension of the program to cover the seventh Assembly tenure of four years.

The vote of confidence by the House followed a matter of urgent public importance raised on the floor by the House Deputy Majority Leader and member representing Gombi Constituency Mr Japhet Kefas during Wednesday’s plenary session.

According to him, the organization’s mutual understanding with the State Assembly has put the House ahead of all Assemblies in the North-East in terms of quality legislation coupled with improvement in the quality citizens engagement legislative.

The lawmaker who is the Chairman House committee on Information Reconstruction Rehabilitation Reintegration and Humanitarian Services and Poverty alleviation and Wealth Creation, while acknowledging funding of the programme by the Responsive Political Party, USAID, European Union among others said the State Assembly has tremendously benefited from the I R I.

He explained that the seventh Assembly lawmakers have participated in trainings, retreat orientation in Lagos, support for Town Hall meetings, citizen engagements techniques, support on bills and advocacy patronage via stakeholders engagement, visual means of citizen engagement through Radio programmes and recently through online posters as a result of Covid-19 pandemic.

The Spokesman of the House added that Coronavirus Pandemic has interrupted the and stalled the programmes and trainings the State Assembly would have gained from the institute as the I R I Office is not functional and the Assembly has to observe preventive protocols.

Mr. Kefas explained that the organization is about winding up their programmes in the State and urged the House of Assembly to appeal to I R I and her funders for an extension of their intervention in the State especially the Assembly.

He added that the request for urgent extension of the programme in the State is to ensure that whatever is learned under the I R I within the period is sustained, institutionalized and passed on to the subsequent Assemblies for the sustenance of Democracy.

In their separate contributions members representing Yola South, Demsa, Guyuk, Hong, Shelleng Song, Numan and Fufore Gurin Constituencies, while commending the mover of the motion said the impact of the Institute has made the seventh Assembly more active, vibrant and people oriented above other states in the region.

After contributions by the seventh Assembly lawmakers on the importance of the International Republican Institute in the State Speaker Aminu Iya Abbas who presided over the session, commended the funders of the programme and the State Coordinating Officers for their support.

Mover of the motion who is the member representing Gombi Constituency moved for the adoption of all requests made by lawmakers in which the Speaker of the House directed the clerk of the House to communicate the appeal to the appropriate authorities for further action.

The House proceeded on two months recess from Wednesday 22nd of July to Monday 21st September 2020 as moved by the deputy majority leader of the House and Seconded by the deputy chief whip Adwawa Dongolok of Guyuk.