Starting on Tuesday, February 6, parliamentarians will begin sessions by reciting the National Pledge, which is part of the implementation of the new standing orders.
This new rule demands that heads of state of institutions must appear directly before Parliament to address queries related to their agencies, unlike the previous standing orders that allowed Ministers of State to represent the heads of institutions during questioning.
Under the new dispensation, Members of Parliament will undergo a roll call and participate in reciting the national pledge at the start of proceedings.
The new standing orders introduce a significant change, requiring independent bodies such as the Electoral Commission, CHRAJ boss, BoG governor, NCCE, and the Auditor General to face questioning similar to ministers on the parliamentary floor.
Ahmed Ibrahim, the First Deputy Minority Whip in Parliament, shared insights on the modifications, emphasizing that the administrator of the Common Fund can now come and be interrogated by a committee and be asked questions.
He will respond to the questions, and the mode of answering the questions has been catered for in the new Standing Orders. Previously, the EC would say that he had no audience on the floor, but this time around, it is not going to be the same.
