The new senate Majority Leader Sen. Ahmed Lawan has said his emergence as the senate leader will bring stability and foster unity among senators and across party hierarchy at the upper legislative chambers more than before.
Sen. Lawan who spoke to journalists over the weekend in Damaturu also observed that his appointment was predestined and divine, adding that the decision of his colleagues to make him leader of the senate was the original position of the APC caucus of the senate and the party.
According to him, the executive cannot do without the support of the legislature which is the key component of democracy, stressing that the new senate will now focus on supporting President Mohammadu Buhari led administration to achieving its programs and policies.
“My appointment as Senate Majority Leader by my colleagues in the APC caucus was an act of God, it was predestined. I want to thank my colleagues for having the confidence in me to do that job as senate leader.
“My appointment as you know was the position of the All Progressive Congress right from the beginning when we ran for the senate presidency with the current senate president Sen. Bukola Saraki. The party nominated me as the Senate Leader, Sen. George Akure as the Deputy Senate Leader and other two principal officers for other party positions but something happened and we were never so appointed.
“But in the wisdom of our colleagues after one and a half years or so, the caucus decided that it was time to change what was done and that the party’s supremacy must be adhered and here we are.
“It is our believe that, that stabilizes the APC caucus in the senate, that brings unity to the senate and we can now face the real challenges of development in our administration. I believe that will also stabilize the entire senate as a whole because a stabilized and unified APC caucus ensures that the APC caucus and the minority
parties will work better. So on the whole we have a better senate now, a more stable senate and I am sure it’s going to be a more productive senate.
“We need to support our President, Mohammadu Buhari. The legislature is so important that whatever legislative interventions the president and his administration require should be done in good time. We have no time to waste, we need to do everything possible particularly this year as an administration to make life better for Nigerians and we are focused and determined to give the president and this administration the support for better Nigeria and Nigerian,” Sen. Lawan said.
Speaking on the current hardship being faced in the country and the position of the senate, the Senate Majority Leader explained that they are always on the side of the common people, adding that the 2017 appropriation bill is tailored towards making life better for ordinary Nigerians.
“The current suffering in the country is one of the serious economic challenges that we face at the moment. It is because the senate has always been on the side of the common Nigerians. What we have tried to do however is that in the 2017 budget we have made provision to make the economy better.
“I can tell you that the appropriation bill that the president submitted to the National Assembly has so many provisions of estimates that are geared towards bringing some reliefs to Nigerians like the social interventions which targets the most vulnerable and the disadvantaged in the society.
“They will get access to some funds for agricultural purposes and employment opportunity for our teaming youth. The senate cannot do anything different from that because this administration wants to make life better for the people and the senate has to key into that either through legislation or enlightening the public on policy and we remain with the administration,” Sen. Lawan pledged.