Senate ‘ll Establish Agencies For Dev – Ekweremadu

The Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has said the Senate would continue to establish agencies relevant to Nigeria’s political and economic development.

Ekweremadu made this known in Abuja while declaring open a one-day public hearing on the Erosion Control and Prevention Commission (Establishment) Bill 2012.

He noted with concern that President Goodluck Jonathan had not assent to several bills passed by the National Assembly since last year.

“We expressed our displeasure over some of our bills sent to the President for assent since last year and we have not got his assent.

“We will continue to create agencies because that is why we are here. We have to do our job.

“Any agency that needs to be created would be created. But those bills yet to be assented to have noting to do with agencies.

“We have the state of nation address bill, the National Health Bill, the Air Force Institute of Technology Bill and others that would have changed a lot of things in this country if they have been signed into law.”

He called for more dialogue between the two arms of government to sort out issues that were delaying the President’s assent to these bills.

Ekweremadu said that the senate had a duty to fashion out all necessary strategies to preserve the environment.

“The threat of erosion, especially gulley erosion and coastal erosion is real. That is why we must do everything to protect our environment.”

He urged the stakeholders to proffer useful suggestions to enhance the quality of legislation that would emanate from the public hearing.

The chairman of the Committee on Environment and Ecology, Sen. Bukola Saraki, identified solid mineral and petroleum exploration as the major factors responsible for environmental degradation in the country.

“There are man-made environmental problems of air pollution, water pollution, land pollution and degradation.

“The main problems of environmental degradation and devastation are associated with petroleum and solid mineral exploration across our country.”

He gave the assurance that the present administration was determined to improve environmental standards geared toward the current environmental challenges.