As national lawmakers prepare to reconvene April 30th, JOHN AMEH writes that some of the critical issues that await their urgent attention are the unfinished business of Abdul Ningi’s suspension, review of the country’s constitution that has been generally labelled as terribly flawed; among others.
Constitution Review
Considering the huge work and the urgency about it, the task of carrying out drastic surgery on a constitution that has been generally labelled as highly defective can’t wait for several reasons. These include intertwined issues with further amendments to the Electoral Act that will require the combined efforts of the Senate and the House of Representatives to jump-start the first leg of the envisaged alterations to the constitution.
It is worthy to note that the Senate since February, had named over 43 senators to join the Deputy Senate President, Sen. BarauJibrin, in a committee to oversee this important task of executing further amendments to the constitution.
While constitution review has been on the schedules of successive National Assembly sets since 1999, the 10th Assembly’s is generating much interest because of the sudden support the clamour for state police has garnered. Prior to now, proposals for state police either did not pass at the National Assembly or they always met their Waterloo at the state legislatures because of the influence and firm grip of governors on that arm of government in their domains. But, with insecurity posing serious challenges to normal life across the states, governors have lately turned advocates of state police to the surprise of many observers.
As of today, a report by the National Economic Council (NEC) indicates that 16 governors have given their backing to state police. This leaves a balance of 20 states, which are likely to join the bandwagon soonest, seeing that they are aware President Bola Ahmed Tinubu too is said to be ready to go the direction of the governors if they fully endorse state police.
This is where the Jibrin committee, nay the Senate and the House of Representatives, sitting as the national legislature, comes in. The process begins with them; they have to marshal the presentation, the defence and hold the various public sittings to collate views within the time set for the job to be delivered up the state level, where two-thirds of the 36 states (24) must vote to approve state police.
The urgency for state police has also been demonstrated by the time the 10th Senate spent so far passing resolutions on how to enhance synergy between all the security agencies, inter-agency coordination and making additional budgetary provisions for procurement of equipment and training of security personnel to contain insurgency, kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery as well as other forms of criminality.
There were resolutions taken on “kidnapping for ransom in the North-West Geo-political Zone”; “Insurgency And Terrorism in Niger State”; “the abduction of students of the Federal University, Dutsima, Katsina State”; “the Displaced People of Gwer-West, Makurdi and Guma Local Governments”; fighting between Ifon and Ilobu communities in Osun State; among several others.
The Senate had equally called for “a National Policy document outlining the framework for an improved and streamlined synergy and coordination between the various security agencies” and an appeal made to the government at the centre to “address the manpower deficit in the armed forces and the police and equip them to discharge their functions effectively and efficiently.”
All of these resolutions, including those which made some recommendations on how to retool the economy, generate employment, address food inflation and stabilise the Naira/Dollar exchange rate, need proper monitoring by the Senate for compliance.
This is the time for the Senate to strengthen its oversight responsibilities and use its committee on legislative compliance to follow up on resolutions and ensure that the affected agencies or ministries of government comply, even if they are unable to achieve 100 per cent implementation.
Does the 10th Senate have a codified, launched legislative agenda? This hasn’t a straightforward answer either. The legislative agenda defines what the legislature plans to do in terms of policies, programmes to help drive governance, including key bills to be passed in the tenure.
Successive sets since 1999 have had an agenda fully publicised, helping to give direction to the focus of the Assembly. There is no concrete evidence that the 10th Senate has launched one yet with barely two months to its first anniversary. On inauguration day, Sen. Akpabio spoke to it. He also made promises about what the agenda would do at several other fora but there has been no unveiling to be sure what it’s all about.
While addressing the Public Hearing of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and Tetfund and House of Representatives Committee on “Students Loan, Scholarship and Higher Education Financing on Student Loan (Access to Higher Education), Repeal and Re-Enactment Bill 2024”, some weeks back, Akpabio had stated, “the present 10th National Assembly at its inception in 2023 set out for itself a legislative agenda whose implementation will surely bring about a tremendous improvement in the living conditions/standards of the citizenry with Mr President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”
On the other side of the aisle, the Speaker of the 10 House of Representatives, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen, has since launched an eight-point agenda titled, ‘The People’s House.’ Top on the agenda are insecurity; further amendment of the electoral act; climate change; and redirecting Nigeria’s foreign policy.
The 9th, 8th and 7th Senates, all had their legislative agendas rolled out as quickly as possible. For instance, the 9th Senate, which was led by Sen. Ahmad Lawan, launched its LA in 2019, the same year of its inauguration, focusing on power generation, passage of PIB, agriculture and many others.
Recall that both Senate Bukola Saraki and Sen. David Mark, who led the 8th and 7th Senates respectively, made their legislative agendas readily available soon after inauguration.
Much work awaits our senior lawmakers. They are welcome, refreshed in their remodelled chamber!
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