House of Representatives announces principal officers.

House of Representatives announces principal officers.
Latifat Afegbua, Abuja

The Nigerian House of Representatives has announced the names of its principal officers.

The Deputy Majority Leader of the House is Mr Leo Ogor of the Ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while the Minority Leader is Mr Femi Gbajabiamila of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

Mr Garba Datti of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), is the Deputy Minority leader. The Chief Whip of the House Ishaka Bawa, of the PDP and Mohammed Ahmed from Niger State is the Deputy Chief Whip.

Mr Samson Osagie of the ACN is the Minority Whip, and  Sumaila Kawu of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), is the Deputy Minority Whip of the House.

Speaker of the House, Aminu Tambuwal, who announced the Principal Officers, said that consultations were still ongoing concerning the position of the Majority leader of the House.

Call for Dialogue

During the session, the House of Representatives urged the Nigerian government to continue its dialogue with three University Unions over an agreement reached in 2009 on allowances and the 65 years retirement age for their members.

This was sequel to a resolution emanating from a motion by Ismail Hussain, which was adopted by the House.

Leading the debate, Hussain, who said that strike would impact negatively
on the students in particular and the country in general, said that the planned industrial action would disrupt the academic calendar and as well elongate the mandatory one year youth service programme.

He stressed that as a result of the constant closure of Nigerian Universities occasioned by strike, they had not been rated among the first 200 universities in the world.

The unions threatening to go on strike are Non-Academic Staff of Universities NASU, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the National Association of Technologists.

The Unions had threatened to embark on strike over the non-implementation of 2009 collective agreement between them and government on allowances and 65 years retirement age.

Qasim