The Speaker of Parliament Edward Doe Adjaho has assured Members of Parliament (MPs) that funds will be readily made available to hold the second meeting of the second session of the Six Parliament of the Fourth Republic.
He said the government was also ready to pay all statutory funds to fast-track development at the local level and also facilitate the work of parliamentarians at the constituency level.
The speaker gave the assurance yesterday after the deputy minority leader, Dominic Nitiwul raised concerns during the start of the second meeting of the second session.
He said the failure of government to honour all statutory payments could hamper the work of parliamentarians and affect the smooth running of parliament.
Before parliament could start serious government business for the day, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Tarkwa-Nsuaem, Gifty Eugenia Kusi, made a touching statement on the abduction of over 200 school girls by Boko Haram militants in Chibok, Northern Nigerian, which elicited passionate contributions from fellow parliamentarians
She said the abduction of the school girls from different schools who had gathered to write their final examination in physics is a serious threat to the education of girls in Nigeria.
In this modern days where education is seen as the tool to make the girl-child independent and more relevant to the society, Boko Haram cannot be allowed to enslave innocent school girls, she said.
According to her, the chairman of the local Parent-Teacher Association in Chibok had openly declared that many parents and guardians in the northern part of Nigeria were reluctant to allow their daughters to go to school since they could be attacked.
“I really want to encourage the Nigerian government to do more in order to secure the release of these innocent school girls, who we are being told are being forced into marriages at a bride price of 2,000 Naira”
The NPP Member of Parliament for Anyaa/Sowutuom, Shirley Ayikor Botchwey, for her part, called on all MPs to support the campaign to bring the 276 abducted school girls back to their parents.
She said the Nigerian government and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have not done enough to ensure the release of the girls.
“The activities of Boko Haram could directly or indirectly affect other countries in the West African sub-region and that something urgent has to be done to stop the insurgency by the Boko Haram militants before their activities spread to the parts of the sub-region,” she said.
The Majority Chief Whip and National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Asawase, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka said, “It is never true that the Koran preaches against Western education because Prophet Mohammed advised all followers of Islam to rather strive to acquire knowledge as much as possible.”
He stated that the Koran also frowns on attacks on vulnerable group of people like children, women and the aged.
The NDC MP for Ablekuma South, Fritz Baffour and the NPP MP for Akuapim North, William Ofori Boafo, all called for radical approach to deal with the threat being posed by the Boko Haram in the West African sub-region.
The majority of the NPP MPs from the Ashanti Region were conspicuously missing because they took part in a demonstration against the government in the Ashanti region.
Source: Thomas Fosu Jnr/Daily Guide
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