Senator Yemi Adaramodu who represents Ekiti Central in the National Assembly, is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs. In this interview, he speaks on the performance of oversight functions by the 10th National Assembly, among other issues. TAIWO AMODU brings the excerpts:
Are you satisfied with the legislative performances of the 10th Senate so far? Should we expect something different from what usually happened in the past?
The legislature performs a three-pronged function. It makes laws; it carries out oversight, and at the same time, it represents the people. Lawmakers ensure that they get across to their constituents always and give them feedback and advocate for them. So, those are the three very major functions of the legislature. On the issue of lawmaking within the chambers, the 10th National Assembly, especially the Senate, has done tremendously, very well because we have passed a lot of motions; life-changing, life-enhancing motions. We have passed motions on the economy, on infrastructure, and on security especially. We’ve done a lot.
In terms of bills on security, arms proliferation, public matters and trust funds, we have also legislated on the petroleum tax law, and several others like that. On the issue of oversight, yes, we are doing great. The first budget that the 10th Assembly would pass was the 2024 budget. It will start running because the last budget of 2023, which was not passed by the 10th Assembly, is still running. By the month of May, so to say, the budget will cease being referred to, though only the residue of that budget is still being referred to now because the 2024 budget, is running simultaneously with the 2023 budget. It is until the 2024 budget starts in full force that our oversight on the budget, provision and execution begins. It is then that we can start to find the milestones, where we are, what we have done. We will look at what the Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) are doing with it. Apart from that, the oversight function of the National Assembly is not fully limited to the issue of budgetary performances of the MDAs. Outside that, public interest matters. When we talk of labour matters, electoral matters, inflationary matters, security matters, disasters, those are areas that we have been having oversight. Recently, the committee on power sat, called on the public and then the critical stakeholders to deliberate on the tariff hike, especially the issue of the Band A, B, C, D, and so on, that we talk about. So, definitely that is an oversight. We talk about even the gas and the petroleum sector. Just about two weeks ago, the committee on petroleum and gas, the upstream, the downstream, went to the refineries, especially the Port Harcourt refinery, to see for themselves what is happening; why are we not having the local production that can ameliorate the problem of supply into the local market of Premium Motor Spirit, especially which Nigerians do use frequently and always. So, that is part of the functions of the National Assembly. I believe that the 10th National Assembly, especially the 10th Senate, has done very well and is still doing very well on the issue of oversight. When you talk of representation at the grassroots, when we have a break, it is just a plenary break. It is not a holiday for legislators. This is because during the plenary holiday, our committees visit MDAs to know what they are doing. The Committee on Works has also gone round even with the Minister for Works to look at the various contracted road projects of the Federal Government. So, during the period of break, the majority of us are always in our constituencies, sitting down with our people, asking questions, briefing them, and telling them to give us what they think they need; what they want, their input and their say on major areas that the 10th Senate should look at.
Some committee chairmen have cited insecurity as reasons they can’t go on oversight. What’s your reaction?
I am not sure that is happening. Why I said I’m not sure that is happening is that some kidnapping incidents occurred on the main road and the Committee on Works, headed by Senator Barnada Mpigi, was with the Federal Ministry of Works staff. They went around to inspect the various road projects that the Federal Government has contracted. For example, they came to Ekiti State; we saw them; we met with them and we spoke with them. So, if the committee that is saddled to do oversight function on the road projects, building of road, maintenance of roads in Nigeria could just go out there to the roads because the kidnappers are on the roads; they are not in the air; they are hardly sitting on the sea, so you can appreciate what I mean. Definitely, if the committee that is doing oversight function on road construction can be on the roads, I don’t think the Committee on Aviation will now give us the excuse of a worse security situation than that of the road where it now takes place. So, that’s why I said I’m not going to aptly agree that any committee chairman could have given that one as an excuse. I’m in the Committee on Youth Development and we visited the orientation camps of corps members all over the country. We have been to the East, we have been to the West, and to the North. So, we are not endangered to the extent that we will not be able to perform our duty and our function as legislators who will do oversight functions on the MDAs. Those two critical committees did the oversight. The Committee on the Petroleum Matters visited the Port Harcourt refinery; there was never an excuse of maybe the road is dangerous. They got there and we saw what they did. They gave us a report that the refinery, that of Port Harcourt, was 90 per cent complete and that within a few weeks or months, they will start running petroleum products out of the refinery
Is the National Assembly thinking of coming up with ways of doing things differently such that the executive arm of government will always be up and doing?
It depends on the way we look at it. When you are in government, politics, management or administration, there must be challenges. That is why we have three tiers of government or three arms of government. That even why, if today, the executive says something will happen tomorrow, the circumstances that will prevail tomorrow might vitiate it. Once it vitiates it, they have to come back to the legislature. If they don’t come back, the legislature will go back to them. That interaction can be read in some quarters as breathing down on the neck of the MDAs or engaging the MDAs to do the needful. So for us, the legislature is there because it is the representative of the people. There can never be democracy without the parliament. It is the people that elect the parliament. In the executive, only the president or the governor is elected by the public. In the House of Representatives, all 360 members were elected by the public, all the 109 senators in the Senate are there courtesy of the public. So, we represent the public. That is why we have to be the nose, the ears, and the eyes of the public. That is why it is very pertinent for us to be politically mobile, agile and more responsive to issues that concern Nigerians than any other arm of government. That is why the only elected person in the executive, especially at the federal level, the president, puts up his team through appointments as he cannot be everywhere. He cannot see everything. But we, in the legislature, 360 House of Representatives’ members and 109 senators, have the constituencies to inform us of what is happening; what they have seen. We are the ones who can now take it back to the executive and ask questions about what is happening. We now go to the books, what has been provided, especially if it is about appropriation, if it is about rules and regulations or the constitution. So, we now tell them this is how it should be done before the judiciary comes in. That’s where the judiciary comes in to do the interpretation. So far, we have just done the appropriation because that is where the real governance is. That is what makes a government tick, that is where development comes in, in terms of building roads, hospitals, providing education and all sorts. Then, you talk about revenue generation. How do we generate revenue that is not at the risk of the lives of the people? How is the revenue used for the benefit of the people? That is where the biggest oversight function comes in. That is why I said that for the 2024 budget, we have to be on our feet to ensure that what is provided for in the appropriation law is followed to the letter. We have to help the executive generate the revenue that it wants to generate and block loopholes through legislation. We believe that the 10th Senate, like we always say, is very uncommon, since we have an uncommon leader and uncommon leadership under the presidency of Senator Godswill Akpabio. We have to be there for the masses, because without them we would not be.
We will still have to go back to give them a feedback of what they have sent us to do. So, we cannot afford to fail in that serious assignment. On the issue of lawmaking, it’s not that we don’t have laws. We have so many laws. But what seriously concerns us is oversight and advocacy in our various constituencies and districts. We believe in the judiciary; we will ensure that our oversight function is sharpened to the extent that the results are got because Nigerians cannot continue to wait for positive results. Yes, the present government is doing very well. Why I said it is doing very well is that, like the journey of 1,000 kilometers, it will start with one step. Another thing is that the problem known is half solved. The government knows the problems and the president keeps on telling us the problems, and that he is open to tell us how he is going to tackle the problems and whatever step he’s taking, he is very open with it. He tells us, he opens the steps to us. It’s not a government that is done through Abracadabra.
At a recent session with the lawmakers, President Bola Tinubu asked you to reduce frequent summons of his appointees. Will that hamper your oversight functions?
The president was once a senator. From my own understanding, no minister, no MDA, either DG or director or MD, will be summoned by the National Assembly without a reason. When we were being inaugurated, the president gave a directive an, executive order to ministers and anybody that is managing any MDA to act and attend promptly to any summon and to any question that might be raised or arise from the National Assembly. So that’s why I said in the context, it’s not a negative comment passed by Mr. President. It’s only saying that when and while any MDA head will be summoned, that person will be summoned based on substantial reasons. No committee will call anyone frivolously, nobody and no one. And in fact, it is just a standing rule in the National Assembly that you cannot call an MDA head without prior notice. The reasons must be stated. It’s not going to be a chairman of a committee’s matter. It’s going to be the whole committee’s matter. It must be on policy. It must not be about internal affairs of that ministry or that agency. If it is going to be internal matter of that ministry or that agency, whoever has any complaint against them must bring it in form of public complaint and through a petition. And then that one will be led by the concerned legislator at the open chamber for all senators to hear and then for it to be referred to the necessary committee to sit on it. With this, the President is only trying to tell the MDAs and the legislature to find a nexus when and where is necessary and this will enhance governance and development. So, it’s not an indictment. It’s only that we are trying to misread the semantics of Mr. President’s words.
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