Adamawa Assembly Won't Allow The Use Of Vernacular During Plenary Says Chief Whip

By Tom Garba, Yola

Adamawa House of Assembly said it will not allow the use of any language other than English by members on the floor of the House.

The Chief Whip and House Committee Chairman on Information, Hon Hassan Barguma made this known Tuesday in an interview in Yola.

Barguma who was reacting to calls by some members of the public on the need to allow the use of vernacular particularly Hausa to enable some members who could not speak fluent English to start contributing to debate during plenary said the house would not contemplate that.

Barguma said that the house wad not contemplating allowing members to use vernacular in the house as Adamawa has over 100 language.

Barguma said those clamoring for the use of vernacular needed to known that being a lawmaker was not all about contributing on the floor of the house.

"If a member can lobby for projects in his constituency without making contribution during plenary what's wrong with that?

"If people of a constituency felt they want someone that will be speaking during plenary, next time they should vote for someone that is vocal." Barguma said.

The lawmaker explained that all the 25 members of the house were educated and understood English language, adding that people should not be worried about contribution on the floor of the house "as that cannot be use as an indices to determine a lawmaker."

Barguma said the public needed to known that while some lawmakers were vocal, some were introvert and that such was not peculiar to Adamawa Assembly alone.

"It's so in other states, National Assembly and other assemblies in US and UK", Barguma said.

On the case fate of suspended Adamawa lawmaker that is supposed to appear before the house on Tuesday, Barguma said the matter had been shifted to the 16th of this month.

He however noted that the assembly has accepted the lawmaker's apology but needed to wait up to 16th of this month when the lawmakers case against the assembly would come up for heating

"It is then that the issuing of withdrawing the case will come up for consideration", Barguma said.