Power Outage Stalls House Proceedings

Hon.  Aminu  Tambuwal

By Onwuka Nzeshi
The House of Representatives yesterday abruptly  suspended its  proceedings following intermittent power outage at the chamber during plenary.

The Speaker of the House, Hon.  Aminu  Tambuwal, who presided at the session was forced to  call for an adjournment after the chamber was thrown into darkness several times and the microphones could not function.

Before the blackout, the lawmakers were  considering the report of the House Committee on Health  on a Bill for an Act to repeal the National Health Insurance Scheme Act, No.35 of 1999.

The bill seeks to re-enact the National Health Insurance Commission Act to expand the scope of the scheme and enhance  access to affordable  health care delivery for all  Nigerians.

The Chairman, House Committee on Health, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, said the law establishing the National Health Insurance Scheme needed to be reviewed to ensure universal coverage for all Nigerians.

Meanwhile, the House urged  the  National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to, as a matter urgency,  send relief materials to some  communities in Owan Federal Constituency of Edo State. The said communities were hit by a devastating  rainstorm which left about a hundred houses and public  power infrastructure  destroyed.

The lawmakers  also urged the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to urgently rehabilitate its power lines and restore power supply to the affected communities.

The resolution to send relief materials to the affected communities came on the heels of  a matter of urgent national importance sponsored  by Hon. Pally Iriase (ACN/Edo).

The lawmaker said with the destruction of houses and other infrastructures, life had become difficult for the people.

According to him, nine communities,  including  Uahumi, Eteye, Okpa, Ogute, Evbiamen, Okpokhumi and Igue-Oke all in Owan East Local Governmnet Area of the state were worst affected with a total of 132 houses destroyed and electricity poles uprooted.

Iriase said  hundreds of families had been rendered homeless and living in makeshift shelters and were exposed to  health hazards.

He argued that since the level  of the disaster was  beyond the scope of the state and the local governments, lives might be lost  if relief did not come to the people early enough.

“The urgency attached to the issue has to do with the fact that it won’t be of any use if responses, by way of relief materials were to be sent to the affected communities much later when they won’t be of any use again.
“So, I think it would be most sensitive to act and prevent avoidable disaster at the right time rather than commiserating with the people  after it might have occurred,” the lawmaker said.