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Saraki faults haphazard passage of 46 bills in 10 minutes
Adekunle Sijuade |
A key contender for the office of Senate President in the incoming Eighth Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki has condemned the haphazard passage of 46 bills by the senate within 10 minutes on Wednesday.
He described the action and the process as improper as he also faulted the poor handling of the ill-fated Nigerian Immigration Service Recruitment by the leadership of the Seventh Senate.
He said, “My view is that it was important that we pass those laws but I have my reservation on the railroading of over 46 bills in 10 minutes. History will not be too kind to us on this count.”
Saraki continued, “This is made even a little steeper by the commentary that must follow that after another four years, the National Assembly was not able to pass such water shed bills like the PIB, the Federal Competition Bill and the NOSDRA Bill amongst many other bills that have the regulatory potential of changing the way our economy operates.”
On immigration recruitment, Saraki said that the Senate did not act on the report of the probe it instituted on the unfortunate incident, during which many young Nigerians lost their lives.
He said, “I remember sadly, the events of some of our youths who went to seek employment from government and lost their lives, needlessly, in a government arranged employment test. We missed, at this occasion, the opportunity of that ill-fated occasion to show leadership and properly set a new standard of responsibility in the conduct and attitude of our public office holders.”
Calling on the incoming eight senate, Saraki urged it to develop and promote a coherent national agenda, adding, “The new Senate must now learn and show that it has the vigour and drive to work harder through enriched deliberations to pass important bills that form the core of its agenda rather than be seen as a last minute assembly where important bills are rolled through the process in 10 minutes.
