IN line with the legislative agenda formulated by the Senate to guide its legislative business, Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has unfolded the road map that will guide the activities of the upper chamber for the third quarter.
It appears a road map, if religiously followed, will go a long way to lift the country out of economic despondency.
Saraki used his welcome address at the resumption of plenary on Tuesday after the Christmas and New Year recess, to articulate the way forward for the country.
For him, senators should gird their sleeves to face an onerous assignment that would, if meticulously executed, enable the country emerge out of economic recession.
It was considered by Senate watchers as an expository speech that could pass for a case study about how to pull the country out of economic misery.
For Saraki, it is already historic that within the last quarter, which incidentally was the second quarter of this session, “we all rolled up our sleeves, with sweat on our brows and successfully passed 49 bills through 3rd reading and 68 bills through second reading.”
He described the passage of the bills as “a record setting feat,” which has “never been matched in the history of the National Assembly, that within a period of four months in the middle of the term of any past National Assembly, 49 bills are passed in a single quarter.”
Saraki was all praises for committees who worked tirelessly to help the Senate achieve the milestone without leaving out President Muhammadu Buhari “for showing faith with the work we are doing here at the National Assembly as he has by today signed into law 16 of the bills we have passed into law already.”
On the economy, Saraki said as long as the country’s economy is still in recession, the work of the Senate is not done. “Because our people are still being laid off; so long as factories are closing shop, for as the hardship in the land continues to bite harder, investment continues to dwindle and the foreign exchange market remains fragmented, I will be demanding even much more from us to get all our economic reform bills passed.”
On bills, Saraki said the Senate promised to pass priority economic reform bills to help aid the country’s economic recovery.
“This is a promise we must keep. There are already, new research findings projecting that our priority bills, will have an output impact equivalent to an average of 6.87% of GDP over a 5-year period on the economy.
The Senate President said it is hoped that as Senators begin to turn their focus towards the passage of the 2017 Budget, the bills will be implemented simultaneously with the budget to enable the country exit recession quickly.
On the successful implementation of the 2017 Budget, Saraki said there was hardly a point reiterating the importance of making the 2017 Budget the most successful budget “we have ever passed, neither is it important to emphasise the need to have this budget back on the desk of the executive on time for implementation.”
Saraki sounded a note of warning to MDA in the habit of submitting their budgets late to wake up in their own interest
“As you may be aware, based on the recommendations of the Budget Reform Committee, we are working towards ensuring that budgets are prepared and submitted timely, so that implementation will follow a regular fiscal circle.
“In this regard, the National Assembly will not tolerate agencies of government not submitting their budgets within the budget period. This is why I urge all agencies yet to submit their budgets to do so quickly as budgets not received within time may have to wait for the next budget circle,” Saraki warned.
The Senate President did not fail to underscore the importance of the budget in the life of every country saying “the budget is the most critical instrument within our public context for economic reordering. It is an effective tool to stimulate the economy, ensure an even distribution of development across the country; and give the “Made in Nigeria” initiative the impetus to survive and in the long term, sustain itself.
Saraki lamented that the issue of policy inconsistencies remained an issue that continues to challenge the country’s business environment.
On the dwindling power sector, Saraki informed that before the recess, a select group of senators and stakeholders in the power sector met to get an understanding of why no progress has been made so far despite the best intention. The revelations at the meeting, he said, were mind-boggling.
Saraki recognised that there had been errors in the privatisation process while “the model by which the power sector is being operatedwhether at generation or distributionwill never take us where we need to be.”
The Senate President also recognised the model has “failed and nobody appears willing to tackle the issue head-on towards a permanent resolution.”
“I have mandated the Senate Committee on Power to continue the consultation with the relevant parties to forge a path to solving our crippling power deficit. After all, if we are going to drive Nigerian industry, we need to resolve this and fast,” he said.
Saraki also took up the issue of southern Kaduna killings that have claimed hundreds of lives.
He said, “while we have our attention on the economy and are working with sweat on our brows to improve it for the betterment of our people, we cannot lose sight of the callous and growing circle of violence across the country, especially now in southern Kaduna.
“We condemn in totality the depravity being exhibited on the streets of Kafanchan. This Senate will not pay lip service to it, neither will it sit idly by and watch innocent Nigerians being slaughtered on the basis of their religion, ethnic group or political persuasion.
“No, we will not stand aloof. Let me therefore use this opportunity to call on the leadership in the state to use its authority and constitutional mandate to bring to immediate halt the growing orgy of violence that has enveloped Southern Kaduna.
“This new theatre of conflict is one too many and must be nipped in the bud.”
On the petroleum industry, Saraki said the petroleum industry continues to be critical to the health of the country’s economy.
“This is why the Senate is urging the Executive to take positive steps to begin a meaningful dialogue with those aggrieved in the Niger Delta to proffer lasting solutions that will help us take advantage of the emerging international oil market outlook to revamp our economic fortunes. “The proposed engagement we suggest must be sincere, constructive, open, and confidence building.
Thought provoking issues you may say. How the issues are addressed by the Senate will help define the character of the upper chamber.
