Plateau House of Assembly Inaugurates Committee on Jos Crisis

Posted By Yiro Abari
The Plateau State House of Assembly has today February 12 inaugurated its own committee to investigate the crisis of Jos North Local Government which broke out on November 28 last year। The Chairperson of the committee Joyce L Rapnap said the committee’s terms of reference is to determine the immediate and remote causes of the crisis, x-ray the Local Government Electoral Law of 2004 with the intent of discovery loop holes, to examine how Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission as the main organ of government has administered this law, to make recommendation to the House for further action and any other suggestion that the committee may come up with in the course of carrying out the responsibility.

Thus the committee as a judicial body is only looking at areas that are related to its duties as a law-making organ of government unlike the committee set up by the Executive arm of the state government that intends to look at the issue generally. Mrs. Rapnap said that the House is empowered to do this by section 128 of the 1999 constitution which states that the House of Assembly shall direct or cause to be directed into an enquiry or investigation into any matter or thing with respect to which it has powers to make laws.
With the Inauguration of the committee, the public can now begin to summit memoranda from today. Such submissions are open until February 19, 2009

The chairperson sincerely pledged the committee’s unbiased commitment to getting to the root of the problem and urged people from Jos North to be honest in whatever presentation they will bring before the committee to ensure the real cause of the crisis is uncovered.