Lawmakers at the House of Representatives
A heated session unfolded in the House of Representatives on Tuesday as lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on which committee should investigate alleged illegal allocations of Federal Government lands within the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex.
The motion, put forward by Rep. Ademorin Kuye (APC–Lagos), sought an investigation into the suspected irregularities. Kuye had urged the House to assign the probe to the Committee on Public Assets, which he chairs — a proposal backed by Rep. Yusuf Gagdi (APC–Plateau).
However, disagreement quickly arose when the Chairman of the Rules and Business Committee, Rep. Francis Waive (APC–Delta), proposed that the matter be handled instead by the Committee on Commerce. His position received support from Rep. Mark Esset (APC–Akwa Ibom).
Adding another dimension, Rep. Gbefwi Gaza (APC–Nasarawa) suggested setting up an ad-hoc committee to conduct the investigation. His recommendation, however, was voted down amid a noisy and divided chamber.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the disagreement spilled over into subsequent deliberations, with lawmakers rejecting several other motions in apparent protest. Among the rejected motions were calls for the establishment of a military base in the Baruten/Kaima Federal Constituency of Kwara State to combat insecurity and one urging the government to address Nigeria’s classification as a “country of particular concern” by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Presiding over the session, Deputy Speaker Rep. Benjamin Kalu intervened and called for an executive session to calm tensions. Lawmakers then met behind closed doors for about 20 minutes before resuming proceedings.
