On Thursday 9th June, 2016 the 8th Senate of the National Assembly marked its one-year in Office. It would be recalled that the 8th senate was inaugurated on 9th June, 2015. The Senate President, Olubukola Saraki (APC: Kwara) while giving his anniversary speech congratulated senators on achievements made within the year and appreciated Nigerians by stating the senate’s commitment to their collective interests and aspirations. He said the successful democratic transition that ushered in a new administration last year has re-ignited the hope of our citizens that democratic government truly empowers the people and is therefore ultimately capable of delivering real benefits to them and give them better quality of life.
He articulated some of the work the Senate has done in the last one year and said the Legislative Agenda of the 8th Senate is anchored on three cardinal objectives of improving governance, improving business and, improving livelihood as the Senate believes that legislative activities that sustainably improve on these three key indicators will improve the economy and ultimately guarantee a better life for the Nigerian people.
He stated that the collapse in oil price has without doubt brought huge shock to the economy on a scale that perhaps, has never been experienced before. Furthermore, he said “The Ease of Doing Business Report” that ranks Nigeria 167 out of 189 countries is not likely to attract business into the economy. Therefore, with the support from international development partners, the organised private sector, the Senate commissioned an expert report which identified 54 extant laws that must be reviewed and brought in line with international best practices in order to open up the economy up for private investments and business. According to Senator Saraki, this legislative intervention yielded about 15 major economic reform bills and 7 business environment bills. Some of these bills have since entered the dockets of the Senate and are at various stages of consideration as some also have been passed by the Senate. Chief among those passed include, the Electronic Transaction bill 2015; Debt Recovery and Insolvency bill 2015 and; the Railway Bill which is being considered through the final lap. All these bills represent a watershed in economic and business legislations in our country.
The Electronic Transaction Bill 2015 for example, will be the first legal framework ever in Nigeria that provides the legal foundation for electronic signatures and guarantees predictability in contracts made electronically. Once signed into law, this bill will offer full protections to contracts entered into via emails, and transactions conducted with online shops, electronic commerce and services platforms, which are currently not provided for in our laws. Another obvious benefit of this bill is will reduce the cost of doing business by eliminating transportation and other logistics cost.
He spoke on the rising levels of violence against women, sexual harassment and rape. He said the 8th Senate is coming up with proposals that will not only help to eliminate these depravities but also ensure that perpetrators will no longer have anywhere to hide. He also spoke on the uprising of the Niger Delta militants and urged the warring militants to embrace democratic institutions and channel their grievances through appropriate quarters.
He congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari, on the one-year anniversary of his government and also commended him for the great achievements he has recorded on several fronts. He also commended the President on his relentless fight against Boko Haram and his bold and courageous fight against corruption, which has manifested in improved probity and accountability in operations of government business. He assured the President that the Senate would continue to play its part in the fight against corruption.
He underscored the senate’s commitment to the diversification of the Nigerian economy by ensuring that the appropriate laws are passed. He further noted that the senate had created greater opportunities for interaction with citizens through the open National Assembly initiative.
Several senators felicitated with the 8th senate on its one-year anniversary and underlined areas to be strengthened to ensure that dividends of democracy are delivered to Nigerians. Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu (PDP: Enugu), said the senate was dedicated to the security and welfare of Nigerians as well as the unity, progress and independence of the legislature. Also speaking on the occasion, Sen. Ali Ndume (APC:Borno) noted that of the 299 Bills introduced to the senate, 285 were sponsored by senators and 4 by the Executive. He stated also that 186 Bills have passed first reading; 47 second reading and 11 have passed third reading and awaiting concurrence with the House of Representatives. Sen. Olusola Adeyeye (APC:Osun) remarked that the senate should ensure that unemployment and fuel importation are addressed before the end of the 8th senate while Sen. Ben Murray Bruce (APC:Bayelsa) expressed worry over population explosion, he noted that over 18,000 babies are given birth to daily. He further advised that the Federal government provision for recurrent expenditure in the 2017 budget should not exceed 50% as this would ensure more provision for capital projects.
The Senate has adjourned plenary till Tuesday 14th June 2016.
Click here to download Senate President’s Speech
