Politics
Saraki: Avoiding the pitfalls of the 7th Senate
The 7th Senate holds the record of passing 46 Bills in ten minutes, while attendance to plenary was below average. The burden is on Bukola Saraki, the new senate president to avoid the notable pitfalls of the last Assembly. CHRIS EMETOH in Abuja reports
With the passing of the 7th Senate on June 4 and the inauguration of the 8th Senate on June 9, 2015, Nigerians are having much expectation on the lawmakers all of whom have taken their oaths of offices amidst the drama that characterized the event on that faithful day.
Although about more than half of the 8th Assembly Senators and Representatives are new to the hallowed chambers, they are confronted by the challenges of sponsoring reasonable bills, moving important motions and making laws that will improve the lives of millions of suffering Nigerians. Much of their successes will depend largely on forging a harmonious relationship with the executive without necessarily acting as mere rubber stamps for the passage of every executive bill. While it is a fact that the crop of lawmakers in the Senate will have to spend ample time learning the ropes of legislative work as they have already began with a two week recess and will be expected to yet again embark on another two months recess shortly, Nigerians who are already taken to the All Progressives Congress (APC}change slogan are looking forward to a very robust legislation through the four years tenure of the 8th Senate, and will possibly not accept any excuses from them should they fall short of meeting the people’s expectations whatsoever the reason might be.
The Senators will by all means be expected to leverage on the legacies of the 7th Senate to stabilize the nation through laws that will assist the executive in formulating good policies that would aid the relevant sections of the Nigerian economy, create employments, improve the education standard, encourage local content in the various industries, create enabling environment suitable for investment (and this should include looking inward into the power sector) to both foreign and local investors, etc.
Taking from the words of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki in his acceptance speech recently, “Nigerians expect the barest minimum out of our agenda, that the new senate and the National Assembly must make laws that will enable us renew an infrastructural reform in the oil sector, reform our security system, our judicial process, diversify our economy, create jobs and make doing business in Nigeria more competitive. In the coming days we shall be hammering out an agenda that will help us focus and deliver on the minimum expectation.”
Saraki’s first speech as Senate President unveils him as a leader who is not unaware of the enormous tasks ahead of the institution he sits atop. But as the Senate is awaited to unravel its agenda it should also not be unmindful of the fact that it is not just about its agenda but that Nigerians in addition to knowing what the item on the agenda list are, will very much also expect expeditious passage of cogent bills like the Petroleum Industry Bills (PIB), among others which suffered in the face of personal and sectional interests for some obvious political reasons against national interests.
It is apparent that in the 7th Senate some very important bills died naturally before second reading or at public hearings due to perceived selfish interests. Public hearings on investigative issues were also marred by allegations of corruptions against certain Senators who presided over them. These were some of the minuses of the 7th Senate which former Senate President, David Mark fought laboriously to establish its integrity and are the Banana peels which must be avoided by the 8th Senate.
As President Muhammadu Buhari admonished the members of the NASS following Saraki and Dogara’s emergence as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively, to endeavour to give the best representations they could and to use their positions to put the nation where it rightfully belongs through viable legislation, the onus indeed lies on the Senate President to ensure strict discipline among the Senators in the execution of their duties.
Although the 7th Senate may have had its shortcomings in some areas due to some reasons, it behooves on Saraki and the 8th Assembly Senators to beware of notable pitfalls as they progress. What’s more is the need for the lawmakers to eschew egocentric attitudes displayed by their predecessors and operate open doors as true representatives of their people.
The Senators will by all means be expected to leverage on the legacies of the 7th Senate to stabilize the nation through laws that will assist the executive in formulating good policies that will aid the relevant sections of the Nigerian economy, create employments, improve the education standard, encourage local content in the various industries, create enabling environment suitable for investment (and this should include looking inward into the power sector) to both foreign and local investors, etc.
Taking from the words of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki in his acceptance speech recently, “Nigerians expect the barest minimum out of our agenda, that the new senate and the National Assembly must make laws that will enable us renew an infrastructural reform in the oil sector, reform our security system, our judicial process, diversify our economy, create jobs and make doing business in Nigeria more competitive. In the coming days we shall be hammering out an agenda that will help us focus and deliver on the minimum expectation.”
Saraki’s first speech as Senate President unveils him as a leader who is not unaware of the enormous tasks ahead of the institution he presides. But as the Senate is awaited to unravel its agenda it should also not be unmindful of the fact that it is not just about its agenda, but that Nigerians in addition to knowing what the items on the agenda list are, will very much also expect expeditious passage of cogent bills like the Petroleum Industry Bills (PIB) among others which suffered in the face of personal and sectional interests for some obvious political reasons against national interests. It is apparent that in the 7th Senate, some very important bills died naturally before second reading or at public hearings due to perceived selfish interests. Public hearings on investigative issues were also marred by allegations of corruptions against certain Senators who presided over them. These were some of the minuses of the 7th Senate which former Senate President, David Mark fought laboriously to establish its integrity and are the Banana peels which must be avoided by the 8th Senate.
As President Muhammadu Buhari admonished the members of the NASS following Saraki and Dogara’s emergence as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively, to endeavour to give the best representations they could and to use their positions to put the nation where it rightfully belongs through viable legislation, the onus indeed lies on the Senate President to ensure strict discipline among the senators in the execution of their duties.
Although the 7th Senate may have had its shortcomings in some areas due to some reasons, it behooves on Saraki and the 8th Assembly Senators to beware of notable pitfalls as they progress. What’s more is the need for the lawmakers to eschew egocentric attitudes displayed by their predecessors and operate open doors as true representatives of their people.
Otherwise, they risk the opportunity of being re-elected as well as being able to fulfilling the expectations of the larger society as they will in some ways be remotely distanced from the realities on ground. Senators of the 7th Senate it would be recalled had field days during their time discussing trivial matters and drawing huge amounts of monies from the nation’s coffers, as they gallivant without recourse to official duties as legislators. Many of the lawmakers took leverage of their legislative status to transverse the world as if it was a part of their legislative mandate and thus jettisoned the purpose for which they were elected in the first place. It is not a hidden fact that some lawmakers were hardly seen at the Senate chambers, while their tenure lasted, although they received every penny meant for their emoluments even as they abandoned the job for their colleagues who were much more regular and took their job serious as best they could.