•Dimeji Bankole, Speaker, House of Reps Photo: Sun News Publishing

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For the fourth time in a row, members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday demonstrated their anger against the Freedom of Information Bill, when they voted en mass to reject the motion to consider the report moved by Hon Abike Dabiri, after proceedings was held up for more than 20 minutes.
Members went into a frenzy, giving one another pat on the back after a resounding ‘nay’ ended a protracted debate on whether to debate the report.

Three times, the presiding officer, Deputy Speaker Usman Nafada Bayero put the question to members if they were ready for consideration of the report, thrice, the members protested against the Bill with a resounding ‘nay,’ even when he modified the motion to confuse the members.
Dabiri’s motion was for the House to depose to the Committee of the Whole for the consideration of the report on a Bill for an Act to make public record available freely and to provide for public access to public records and information, consistent with public interest and protection of private privacy.

According to her, the report was first laid on November 14, 2007, in accordance with parliamentary procedure, since the former President withheld his assent to the Bill as passed by the last National Assembly.

Immediately she moved the motion, the chamber became rowdy in protest against the motion even before the deputy speaker could call for a seconder for the motion.
Hon Leo Ogor from Delta lent his voice to the motion, but when Bayero called for vote, he could not rule either in favour or against the motion.

While Bayero was making consultation with the Clerk, Niyi Ajiboye, the
House Leader, Tunde Akogun, Deputy Whip, Aminu Tambuwal, Hon Nasir Rabe
and Leo Ogor, those working against the motion took advantage of the reluctance to rule to move around the floor, lobbying for more members to vote against the motion.
When the Deputy Speaker could found his voice, he cleared his throat, but modified the question. “Hon colleagues, I put the question to you again, that those who want the report be adjourned to the next legislative day say ‘Yes.’”

The confused members, who did not understand the question shouted ‘nay.’ But when they realized the meaning of what they chorused, they started shouting against the question.
Members ignored the plea of the deputy speaker that the House had handled a more delicate issue and that the House would equally handle the present issue.

His call for the House to collapse into an executive session was rejected, as members spoke into their microphone simultaneously, shouting No! No! No!

“I will put the question to you for the third time. Is it acceptable to you that we stand down the report until members understand the impulse of the bill? The reply was a resounding ‘nay.’
Instead of responding to the question, diversionary tactics like the non- functioning of the air condition and leakage of roof was brought up under the privileged order of the rules of the House.
But Bayero stood his ground that the House could not adjourn on account that the air condition was faulty, noting that millions of Nigerians lived without the cooling machine in their homes.

He, however, warned that though he had strong feelings that members wanted the bill killed, the matter would continue to appear on the Order Paper so long members would not allow the House to depose to the Committee of the Whole, where the clauses would be debated, accepted or rejected.

“The Bill will continue to remain in the Order Paper. It may take us one year to finish it, but it will continue to appear,” he reminded his colleagues, who were not even listening to him.
When the rowdiness subsidized, Bayero called on Hon Abike Dabiri to repeat her motion, she was seconded by Hon Patrick Obahiagbon and it was put to vote. The voice of members who were against the motion swallowed those who said ‘yes’, to it and they burst into wild jubilation.

Speaking after the session, Dabiri and Ubani expressed shock at the reaction of the members to the Freedom of Information Bill. Dabiri blamed the action of members on the fear that the media would become too powerful if the Bill was passed. She, however, noted that Bill was not for the media alone, but for good governance and transparency. Ubani said what happened on the floor showed that stakeholders still had a lot to do to educate members on the importance of the bill to the sustenance of democracy.

Journalists covering the House equally expressed concern the way members are viewing the bill as if it was for the media alone. For members to fully understand the importance of the Bill to the establishment of good governance build on transparency, the House Press Corps decided to meet with the leadership of the House.

Meanwhile, Speaker Dimeji Bankole has left the country for an official visit to the United States of America (USA) on a 10-day parliamentary tour.