A Human Rights Lawyer,  Mr Femi Falana, has called on the National Assembly to always insist on the full implementation of annual budgets by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) .

Falana made the call during the second anniversary of the 7th House of Representatives in Abuja on Thursday.

He called on the House to avoid any attempt to amend the 2013 budget which had been in operation.

“Having signed the Appropriation bill into law, the National Assembly should reject the deliberate ploy to delay the implementation of the 2013 budget.

“Once the appropriation bill has been passed into law, it is required to be enforced into-to,” he said.

He said that it would be the height of impunity for the executive to embark on a partial implementation of the budget. “The decision  of the National Assembly to insist on the full implementation of the nation’s budget is in line with the tenets of the rule of law,’’ he said. According to him, the country may witness the  highest level of non-implementation of the 2013 budget if care is not taken.

He urged the House to design an internal mechanism to check activities of its members in regards to oversight function.

“It is high time the house devised internal mechanisms for monitoring it’s members engaged in the investigation of corruption.

“When you are fighting corruption, corruption will fight you back. Be vigilant against external forces, which are bent on destroying the House,’’ he said.

He urged the National Assembly to avoid being blackmailed in exercising its powers in order to ensure that the Central Bank of Nigeria was brought under legislative scrutiny.

Falana called on the legislature, as true representatives of the people to make public, salaries and allowances of members instead of resorting to the court.

In a presentation, a former university lecturer, Prof. Jonah Elaigwu, advised committees against relying on MDAs for financial assistance in carrying out oversight functions.

Elaigwu advised the House to be  proactive and active in discharging it’s legislative duties.

According to him, the return of members of the House with experience of lawmaking would help in deepening the lawmaking process at the National Assembly.

He alleged that politicians were the originators of violence in the country by encouraging thuggery during elections.

Elaigwu said that the frequent ethnic and religious violence had greatly retarded the country’s development.

On his part,  Executive Secretary of National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odikanlu, called for adequate allocation to the Nigeria Police  Force to enhance its operations.

Odikanlu said that the police personnel in the country work under extreme conditions in trying to protect the citizens.

He called on the House to enact laws that would  adequately  address corruption and punish offenders accordingly.

The 7th house was inaugurated on June 6, 2011.