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National Assembly And Over Sight Functions

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The National Assembly under the Nigerian presidential system
of government is a bicameral legislature with two chambers, namely the Senate
and the House of Representatives.

The 7th National Assembly was inaugurated on June 6, 2011,
with the Senate having 36 re-elected members and 73 elected for the first time,
making the 109 Senators of the upper chambers; House of Representatives with
360 members had 100 persons re-elected while 260 were first timers.

The 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as
amended provides that the National Assembly is the highest elective lawmaking
body of the country. It has vested in it the power to enact laws for the peace,
order and good governance of the federation.

No doubt, the National lawmakers had made relevant laws for
the betterment of society and corporate existence of the nation as well as
undertaken oversight functions to the best of their ability in line with the
principle of checks and balances.

Just recently the lawmakers intervened in the Central Bank
proposal for the introduction of N5,000 note and other denominations requesting
that the plan be kept in abeyance. President Jonathan also accepted the
resolution and subsequently directed the Central Bank to put the idea on hold.
This move was applauded by Nigerians for government being sensitive to
perceived negative impact of the proposal for the wellbeing of the common man.

In the words of Mr. Gary Hamel, author and research fellow
at the Harvard Business School, “The real challenge for leaders is not to seek
perfection in all issues but to set up structures that allow institutions to
thrive with their less than perfect leadership and the key strength of
democratic institutions are the capacity to adapt and evolve peacefully.”

There is no gainsaying the fact that members of the National
Assembly are political leaders in their own right, they represent the interests
of their constituencies whose mandate they carry and it behoves on them to make
justifiable laws for the benefit of the people.

Shortly after the proclamation of the National Assembly, the
issue of leadership structure created some challenges because the ruling
People’s Democratic Party (PDP), was alleged to have zoned major political
offices with the emergence of Dr Goodluck Jonathan as president from the
South-South region.

It was rumoured that the presidency have endorsed Senator
David Mark to continue as Senate President while the exit of former speaker
Oladimeji Bankole left a vacuum. Jonathan was said to have favoured a candidate
from the South-West but the odds weighed against her as majority of House
members preferred the incumbent speaker from the North.

Barrister Innocent Sunday, a political analyst and pundit,
fingered these initial scenarios as the contaminating blood in the political
vein of the house and the  presidency.
“Otherwise how can you fathom the quick alliance with the opposition in a House
dominated by the President’s party members to issue impeachment threat for
below average implementation of the 2012, budget barely five months after its
passage.

Although, the constitution provides that any law passed in
any chambers must have a concurring response from the other and the state House
of Assembly are equally empowered to deliberate on such issues especially on
the impeachment of the commander-in-chief.

Simply put, if the plot was probably to attract the
attention of the president, then they have succeeded, otherwise, the effect was
like water poured on the back of a duck.

In a presidential system of government lobbying of lawmakers
by the executive and other interest groups, is a necessary pastime to either
support or discourage the passage of a bill into law, depending on which side
of the divide.

In America, President Barak Obama’s Health bill generated
controversy among citizens, Republicans and Democrats but it has since been
passed into law because the government utilised the instrument of lobbying.
This process which engages persons with oratory prowess and knowledgeable in
government affairs have been degraded in the Nigerian system misunderstood,
misrepresented and even given the colouration of bribe.

However, there is nothing that demoralises people more
effectively than the belief that other persons are being rewarded or favoured
for reasons that has nothing to do with talent, effort and results.

Without mincing words, President Jonathan and the National
Assembly have enjoyed cordial working relationship particularly for allowing
each arm performs its duties without interference. To this end, several laws
have been passed and assented to, some were inherited proposed laws improved
upon and given the green light like the Freedom of Information Law (FOI).

Worthy of note and rightly too is for the legislature to
discharge its oversight function on the executive arm to ensure that
appropriations approved in the budget for implementation were carried out.
Regrettably, such exercise has attracted misdemeanor consequences on the
lawmakers.

As earlier mention, the motion which was adapted by the
House on the non-implementation of the 2012 budget was sponsored by Chairman
Committee on Business and Rules, Hon. Albert Sam-Tsokwa, and 20 others. Opinion
is divergent on the rational for the hasty impeachment threat on the president
even when the Senate had not peeped into the matter, considering the time
frame.

Perhaps, the achievement of the House radicalism has
necessitated the need for early presentation of the budget and in compliance
with the perceived lapses Dr. Jonathan has concluded arrangements to present
the 2012, appropriation bill to the joint session of the National Assembly soon
to allow ample time for legislative inputs and approval.

Infact, under the current 7th Assembly, the Senate appears
to have demonstrated more maturity in debates, motions and resolutions to
justify their distinguished status as against the House that ventured into
critical sectors of the economy, raised hopes and aspirations of Nigerians
towards sensitizsing the system but unfortunately ended up debasing the very
essence of such endeavour.

The lawmaker began the oversight function journey that
brought dishonour to the honourable members with the Independent Power Project
(IPP) of the federal government, otherwise called Power probe headed by Hon.
Elemelu and the outcome of the engagement ended in scandalous circumstances.

As Speaker, Hon. Aminu Bello Tambuwal puts their duty in
proper perspective when he said “the act of law making is crucial to the
success of our nation in all sphere, however, the legislature does not work in
isolation but places great emphasis on its cooperation with other arms of
government.”

Again, in the spirit of patriotism to the father land, the
House in a motion brought before it resolved and indeed set up a probe panel
for the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), with the intention to redeem
the organisation. Sadly enough, the effort was marred by accusations and
counter accusations of alleged demand of bribe from the SEC boss Ms Arunma
Oteh. The rest of the issues can be confined to our political history as the
rife led to some level of ego and muscle flexing by the stakeholders.

Certainly, not done with controversies, the mother of them
all was unveiled in the now popular Faroukgate scam. Kudos must be given to the
House for its vibrancy and concern for the masses but having probably suffered
credibility questions in previous attempts, went into its arsenal and assigned
the petroleum subsidy probe to the litherto respected Hon. Farouk Lawan as
chairman with other equally ace lawmakers to dive into the hydra headed
downstream sector of the petroleum industry.

Hon. Lawan failed to learn from the mistakes of others and
literally urinated on his trousers. The courageous outburst of an oil merchant,
Chief Michael Otelola to expose corruption has today diminished the flourishing
political fortune of the once vibrant lawmaker.

Nigerian leaders must learn the key skills in achieving
balance in the onerous task of developing the country by engendering the
communality of interest and doing away with personal egocentrism. It has
therefore become pertinent to appreciate that despite individual differences,
the nation’s founding fathers worked together, devoid of rancour, bickering and
acrimony to  secure. Independence.

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Kwankwaso Agrees To Rejoin APC, Gives Terms, Conditions

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The 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has given terms and conditions to rejoin the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Sen. Kwankwaso, while addressing a gathering at his Kano residence, said any political alliance must recognise and respect the interests of his party and political movement.

The former two-term governor went down memory lane to recall how they founded the APC but were used and dumped.

In his words, “…those calling on us to join APC, we have agreed to join the APC but on clear agreement that protects and respects the interest of my party, NNPP and my political movement, Kwankwasiyya. No state where you go that you don’t have NNPP and Kwankwasiyya. We have gubernatorial candidates, senatorial candidates and others.

“We are ready to join APC under strong conditions and promises. We will not allow anyone to use us and later dump us.

“We were among the founding fathers of the APC and endured significant persecution from various security agencies while challenging the previous administration.

“Yet when the party assumed power, we received no recognition or appreciation for our sacrifices, simply because we didn’t originate from their original faction.

“We are not in a hurry to leave the NNPP; we are enjoying and have peace of mind. But if some want a political alliance that would not disappoint us like in the past, we are open to an alliance. Even if it is the PDP that realised their mistakes, let’s enter an agreement that will be made public,” Sen. Kwankwaso stated.

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I Would Have Gotten Third Term If I Wanted – Obasanjo 

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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed long-standing claims that he once sought to extend his tenure in office, insisting he never pursued a third term.

Speaking at the Democracy Dialogue organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Chief Obasanjo said there is no Nigerian, living or dead, who can truthfully claim he solicited support for a third term agenda.

“I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it. And there is no Nigerian, dead or alive, that would say I called him and told him I wanted a third term,” the former president declared.

Chief Obasanjo argued that he had proven his ability to secure difficult national goals, citing Nigeria’s debt relief during his administration as a much greater challenge than any third term ambition.

“I keep telling them that if I could get debt relief, which was more difficult than getting a third term, then if I wanted a third term, I would have got it too,” he said.

He further cautioned against leaders who overstay in power, stressing that the belief in one’s indispensability is a “sin against God.”

On his part, former President Goodluck Jonathan said any leader who failed to perform would be voted out of office if proper elections were conducted.

Describing electoral manipulation as one of the biggest threats to democracy in Africa, he said unless stakeholders come together to rethink and reform democracy, it may collapse in Africa.

He added that leaders must commit to the kind of democracy that guarantees a great future for the children where their voices matter.

He said: “Democracy in Africa continent is going through a period of strain and risk collapse unless stakeholders came together to rethink and reform it. Electoral manipulation remains one of the biggest threats in Africa.

“We in Africa must begin to look at our democracy and rethink it in a way that works well for us and our people. One of the problems is our electoral system. People manipulate the process to remain in power by all means.

“If we had proper elections, a leader who fails to perform would be voted out. But in our case, people use the system to perpetuate themselves even when the people don’t want them.

“Our people want to enjoy their freedoms. They want their votes to count during elections. They want equitable representation and inclusivity. They want good education. Our people want security. They want access to good healthcare. They want jobs. They want dignity. When leaders fail to meet these basic needs, the people become disillusioned.”

The dialogue was also attended by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto diocese of Catholic Church among others who all stressed that democracy in Africa must go beyond elections to include accountability, service, and discipline.

 

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Rivers Assembly Resumes Sitting After Six-Month Suspension

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The Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday resumed plenary session after a six-month state of emergency imposed on the state by President Bola Tinubu elapsed on Wednesday midnight.

President Bola Tinubu had lifted the emergency rule on September 17, with the Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state assembly asked to resume duties on September 18.

The plenary was presided over by the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, at the conference hall located within the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

The conference hall has served as the lawmakers’ temporary chamber since their official chamber at the assembly complex on Moscow Road was torched and later pulled down by the state government.

The outgone sole administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas, could not complete the reconstruction of the assembly complex as promised.

Recall that on March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the prolonged political standoff between Fubara and members of the House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

He subsequently suspended the governor, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and lawmakers for six months and installed a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), to manage the state’s affairs.

The decision sparked widespread controversy, with critics accusing the president of breaching the Constitution.

However, others hailed the move as a necessary and pragmatic step.

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