The Nigeria Labour Congress has called for reduction in the time and process of impeachment of the president and vice president.
The President of the NLC, Abdulwaheed Omar, made the call in Abuja on Wednesday at a public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Ad hoc committee on the review of the 1999 constitution on 10 bills.
Omar, who was represented by Benson Uppah, an official of the union, said the current process and time for the impeachment of the president and his deputy was cumbersome and not intended to achieve its aim.
He faulted the frequent friction between the Executive and the National Assembly over invitations and resolutions passed by the legislature.
Omar called for the strengthening of the National Assembly as the hope of the people and urged it to ensure that any person who refused to honour its invitation is punished.
“Refusal by invitees to appear before the National Assembly is an insult to this great institution,” he said.
On the proposed direct funding for the Police and National Security Agencies, Omar said that under funding of the institutions was dangerous to national security.
He urged legislators in the lower chamber of the National Assembly to carry out a ‘diagnostic evaluation’ of yearly performance of the budget.
Earlier, the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, said the outcome of the hearing would be presented to the House for consideration.
Ihedioha said the inputs from stakeholders was paramount in the consideration of the final report of the committee.
He said: “Your inputs, therefore, will be very crucial in determining whether any of these Bills will be part of the final Report of the Committee.
“I have no doubt in my mind that you have come to this Public Hearing well prepared for an engaging and robust deliberations.
“I am sure that at the end of this hearing, we would be enriched and fulfilled that we have contributed our quotas towards the betterment of the constitutional framework of our dear country.”
Some of the bills under review include a bill to provide immunity for members of the National Assembly in respect of words spoken or written at plenary or at committee proceedings.
Also for review is a bill to criminalise contempt of summons of the House of Representatives as well as a bill to remove ambiguities in the process of removal of the president and his vice from office on allegation of gross misconduct, among others.
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