… says I’m not behind Ndume’s suspension
Senate president, Bukola Saraki, on Monday said the Senate might finally commence deliberations on the controversial Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) at plenary, by Tuesday or Wednesday.
The Senate president disclosed this shortly after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Senate president and speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, were at the Presidential Villa and met separately with the President.
The PIB, which seeks to split the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) into two independent bodies, has been an issue of contention from previous administrations.
Last year, the Senate president said the Senate would pass the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) in tranches as a way out of its non-passage for the past eight years.
According to Saraki, the passage of the bill in tranches is necessitated by the need to unbundle its contents into manageable compartments that can be implemented in phases.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), had also assured that the bill would be passed last month.
However, emerging from the meeting with the President, Saraki said: “By Tuesday or Wednesday for the first time in the history of the legislature, we are going to lay a report on the PIB for consideration. It has never happened, for the past 20 years it has not gotten to this stage, so it is work in progress for the interest of Nigeria.”
Their meeting conspicuously held at the time when the Legislature and the Executive are up in arms against each other. The Senate last week refused to confirm Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), asking that the President sack the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) who they had rejected.
Concerned by the face-off, the Presidency last week Wednesday set up a committee to mediate between the two arms of government to sort out all pending issues. The committee chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo consists of ministers who are former senators or members of the house of representative as well as the liaison officers for both houses.
Accompanied by the liaison officers for both houses of the National Assembly Ita Enang (Senate) and the Kawu Sulaiman (House of Representatives), Saraki however dissuaded insinuations that there was a frosty relationship between both arms of government stating that issues of stalling confirmation of Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) by the legislature was not enough to conclude that the two arms of government were at war.
Insisting that the relationship between the two arms of government was cordial the senate president said “It is cordial, you cannot examine it based on NDDC, based on EFCC, we have other issues, we have ministerials that we are going to be working on, we have the budget that is more important, we have INEC, PIB we have so many important things and I think its a mixture of all that should guide us, don’t let us over heat on some of these issues”.
Speaking on the suspension of the former Senate leader, Ali Ndume, the senate President said had no power to reverse the suspension as pronounced by the house, despite the intervention of the Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima.
According to Saraki, he will only convey the governor’s message while the Senate will decide Ndume’s fate.
“We should try and understand how the parliament works, I wish I had such powers these powers you give me I wish I had them, the President or Speaker is first among equals they are just presiding officers but unfortunately you know the legislative arm is the youngest people don’t understand, people give us this powers that we have, decisions that are taken in plenary is decision of all but I have a role to be able to convey the message, I will convey the message of the visit of the Governor of Borno and the Senate is one, we are all one family there will be issues like that, there is nothing that is sacrosanct or rigid” he said.
The Senate, last week Wednesday, suspended Ndume, for six months for not doing “due diligence” before filing a petition against the Senate President and a lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Dino Melaye.
Saraki said at the meeting, which is now routine, he also briefed the president on the status of the budget and the INEC bill that was passed last week.
Dogara who also said he was on a routine visit to the President, said the National Assembly welcomes the planned protest by some youth groups in support of its recent actions.
Two youth groups, the Movement for the Advancement of National Transformation (MANTRA) and the Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy and Coalition (CDNDC), last week warned that Nigeria under Buhari may descend speedily into the unenviable state of anomie, anarchy, chaos and doom were impunity reigns supreme,” if the executive is not checked.
In response, Dogara said, “this is a democracy we are running and we have to open the space to civil society, to everyone who feel aggrieved to be able to air his grievances. So, if they have grievances against the institution of the legislature we will take it.
You see the point is we should never run away from crisis, crisis are always wonderful opportunities for us to begin the new, for us to set new boundaries, for us to begin to examine things in a new way. So, we should welcome crisis, there are the engines that always propels growth and progress. So if anyone thinks he has issues with the national assembly let him come and we will have the opportunity to explain, that is the beauty of democracy.
On Magu’s rejection, Dogara said, “You might look at it as crisis but I don’t look at it as crisis. You know I have always said this that as a government our value will be the problems we have solve. We can’t be remembered for avoiding, we can’t be remembered for running away from problems, it is only when we provide solution to some of the things you refer to as crisis and we look at it as opportunities to begin the new that people will now remember us for putting down enduring legacies.
But when we run away from every that appears to be trouble we will not make it.”
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