By peterside Rejoice
A motion seeking a comprehensive probe into alleged administrative lapses in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was on Wednesday rejected by the Senate after it was ruled procedurally defective and lacking the requirements of urgency under the Senate Standing Rules.
The motion, sponsored by the Senator representing the FCT, Senator Ireti Kingibe, was presented as a matter of urgent national importance pursuant to Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate rules. It sought legislative intervention into a wide range of issues, including alleged land grabbing, indiscriminate demolitions, non-payment of salaries to street sweepers and other workers, sewage disposal challenges, waste management failures, and other administrative concerns within the FCT.
In moving the motion, Senator Kingibe also raised concerns over the designation of green areas under the Abuja Master Plan. She noted that such areas, originally meant to serve as corridors for sewage, water and electricity infrastructure, as well as environmental buffers, were allegedly being built upon through illegal revocations, forced evictions and questionable reallocations of land.
The FCT lawmaker reminded the chamber that less than a year ago, the Senate had intervened in similar matters and summoned the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over allegations bordering on unlawful land administration, disregard for due process and encroachment on legally vested land rights. She expressed concern that despite the Senate’s earlier intervention, the alleged practices had continued unabated.
However, the motion failed to gain traction during deliberations, as several lawmakers faulted its admissibility. The Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, described the motion as “dead on arrival,” arguing that it did not meet the procedural standards for urgent motions. He also commended the FCT Minister for what he described as significant transformation of Abuja, adding that the administration had recorded visible improvements in infrastructure and urban development.
In his ruling, Senate President Godswill Akpabio stated that the motion lacked focus and could not be classified as a matter of urgent national importance. He explained that urgent motions must be specific and narrowly defined, rather than combining multiple, unrelated issues into a single request.
“When a senator raises a matter of urgent national importance, it must be specific and focused. If it is about waste management, then it should be on waste management alone, not linking salaries, demolition and land administration,” Akpabio said. “This cannot be described as a matter of urgent national importance.”
Akpabio further noted that Abuja is currently rated among the most developed cities in Africa, adding that the broad nature of the motion, which effectively sought to probe the entire FCT administration, fell outside the scope of Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate rules.
The Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, supported the position of the Senate President, stressing that matters of urgent national importance are those that cannot wait until the next legislative day. He advised Senator Kingibe to withdraw the motion and re-present it as a substantive motion in line with established procedures.
While most contributions opposed the motion in its present form, Senator Victor Umeh defended part of the proposal, insisting that the waste management crisis in Abuja was a serious issue deserving urgent legislative attention.
Further reinforcing the Senate’s position, Senator Tahir Monguno described the motion as “incurably bad” from a procedural standpoint, noting that its structure and content rendered it inadmissible for urgent consideration.
Consequently, Senator Kingibe was given the opportunity to withdraw the motion. She accepted the ruling of the chamber and was advised to re-submit it as a substantive motion, limited strictly to waste management issues in the FCT.
The Senate thereafter moved on to other items listed on the Order Paper.
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