As the Senate is now in new session, the obvious fact is that they will be confronted with several key issues. What is the agenda? UCHENNA AWOM writes that the new agenda may have a far reaching implication in the political and economic restructuring of Nigeria.
The Senate resumed full plenary and committee sessions yesterday after enjoying about two month-long annual holidays. Though a large segment of the Nigerian public that are somewhat uniformed about the international legislative calendar were quick to lampoon the National Assembly for embarking on one recess too many.
Nonetheless, the senate through its committee chairman on Information, Media and Public Affairs, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe disagrees, saying the senate and indeed the National Assembly has always worked within the legislative calendar and has always been zealous to work within the time frame and even extra as true representatives of Nigerians.
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The Agenda
However, what are the major issues that will confront the upper legislative chamber as they saunter into the red chamber? It is given that the lawmakers were engaged in so many activities, which by all intent was not concluded before they jetted out on the recess July 18. There are myriads of investigations by several committees, whose reports are yet to be laid on the floor. Chief among the probes are the management of oil subsidy funds, which report is yet to hit the floor.
LEADERSHIP learnt that the reports would ultimately form the major issue for debate as the senators resume, the reasons according to the source is because of the controversy trailing the House of Representatives report and besides the senators would want to correlate their committee’s findings with the report of the Aig-Imokhuode Presidential reconciliation committee on the same issue.
“This has become imperative against the backdrop of the readiness of the presidency to prosecute the subsidy-fund-thieving companies and individuals. At least our resolution in the circumstance would complement the government’s reports and that of the House. So it is a report, which would be given serious attention. Before now we were slowed down because of the report of the House of Representatives, but the associated controversies on the lower chamber’s report have given the senate a new impetus to add the icing on the vexed issue”, said a source.
On the card also is the 2013 budget, which is expected to be presented by President Goodluck Jonathan between the ending of this month and early October to the joint session of the National Assembly. In that case, it would be a very busy session as all the committees are expected to swing into action for budget defence by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). They will expand their oversight on the MDAs ahead of the budget debate, by vetting their overall performances in the 2012 budget.
It could be recalled that the performance of the budget has become a sour point between the National Assembly and the presidency to the extent that the House of Representative had to mouth their readiness to move against the President’s jugular if he fails to give a 100 percent performance report them before the resumption date of tomorrow, though they seem to be singing a different song now, but their outburst underscored the general frustration over the poor implementation of the 2012 budget.
In the same vein, the Senate had to summon the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to appear to give not only the performance report of the budget, but also a statement allegedly credited to her, that the National Assembly have been frustrating the implementation of the budget.??
The Senate will also fast track the amendment of the constitution. It is an issue that has generated so much tension and discussion in the polity. There are contentious issues like the State Police, which has pitched several interests against each other; most prominent is the schism in the ubiquitous Governors Forum. There is also the raging debate on the adoption of true federalism.
The Deputy President of the Senate has even waded into the federalism debate. Ekweremadu who expressed his disappointment over insinuations in some quarters that to contemplate fiscal federalism as proposed by Nigeria in their submissions to the National Assembly, was to further impoverish some parts of the country, also noted that such insinuation was not only false, but a “wrong and an unfortunate imputation of motive”.
While arguing that every State in the country had no reason to be poor, with graphical details of solid minerals deposits in each of the State waiting to be harnessed to buttress his point, Ekweremadu said, “Besides the fact that fiscal federalism was proposed by memoranda submitted by Nigerians, it is also an inalienable feature of federalism.
“More also, the decline of the nation’s economy and development recorded at the time of the nation’s agro-based economy can be directly traced to the replacement of fiscal federalism which engendered hard work and healthy competition with a ‘feeding bottle’ federalism which has continued to churn out indolence, poverty, and underdevelopment”.
He added that “Importantly, the table (making reference to the graphical details) shows that every part of this country is too richly endowed to be poor”.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review further noted that while the lawmakers as representatives of the people, would do everything within their powers, to ensure that the on-going efforts produced a constitution that would reflect the views and aspirations of all Nigerians, both Nigerian leaders and the followers, must be ready to abide by the spirit and letters of the constitution, even as he insisted that there was nothing like a perfect constitution, anywhere in the world.
Further espousing on his frustrations in the task ahead, Ekweremadu lamented that ethnicity and lack of political will have been identified as major challenges facing constitution-making in pluralistic and developing Commonwealth societies.
He made the submission while speaking on the topic “The Politics of Constitution-making: the Parliaments Role in Relation to the People” at the ongoing 58th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Conference in Colombo Sri-Lanka. He further said the tendency for each ethnic group to seek maximum guarantee against domination by others as well as maximum share of power often tends to downplay national interest.
Ekweremadu, who was the Discussion Leader for the CPA Workshop on constitution-making at the CPA Conference, observed that “When the political elites approach the process of constitution-making with sectional biases and short-sightedness rather than exhibit reasoned analysis and good faith in the examination of the issues, such ethnic sentiments and provocative rhetoric only manage to envenom the polity and significantly diminish the prospects of building a consensus even on most apparently worthwhile matters”.
The Deputy President of Senate and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review said the political will to balance personal, group, ethnic and institutional interests have often proven difficult in many Commonwealth states as persons in positions of authority as well as different levels and arms of government find it difficult to support provisions that will whittle down their extant powers or comparative advantages, even if such provisions would be in the overall interest of their country.
“Also, matters that could be handled through consensus building and policy/administrative means are also subjected to the rigours of constitution amendments”, he added.
On the flip side, some senators were honoured on Monday with the national awards of the Commander of the Order of The Niger (CON) by the Federal Government. Congratulations.
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