Reps Speaker reshuffles standing committees

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, on Tuesday, announced a minor reshuffle of the House standing committees.

In the reshuffle announced during the plenary, Abdulmumin Jibrin, the vocal Kano lawmaker, was reassigned from the Committee on Foreign Affairs to the Committee on Housing and Habitat as chairman.

Mr Jibrin will be replaced as chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs by Oluwole Oke (PDP, Osun).

The speaker’s decision to move Mr Jibrin to the Committee on Housing and Habitat may have been influenced by the fact that he served as the executive director of Business Development(Commercial, Corporate and Social Housinh) Federal Housing Authority (FHA) under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Mr Oke was initially the chairman of the Committee on Judiciary

Aminu Balele, initially the chairman of the Committee on Housing and Habitat, is now the chairman of the Committee on the Army.

Abdullah Mamuda will fill the vacancy in the Committee on Judiciary. Before this reshuffle, Mr Mamuda was the chairman of the Committee on the Army.

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Explaining the reason for the reshuffle, Mr Tajudeen said it was meant to ensure the efficient functioning of the House.

Last year, Mr Tajudeen composed 134 committees, increasing the number from the 110 constituted by his predecessor, Femi Gbajabiamila.

Months later, he announced the addition of four committees, bringing the total to 137.

However, this is the first reshuffle by the speaker in the current Assembly.