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Senator Barau Jubril, representing Kano-North, has emerged as deputy Senate president following his nomination at the inauguration of the 10th Senate on Wednesday.
Mr Jubril’s nomination was done by Senator David Umahi (APC-Ebonyi) and seconded by Salihu Mustapha (APC-Kwara).
In his remarks shortly after his nomination, Mr Jubril accepted to serve as deputy president of the Senate.
The clerk of the National Assembly, Sani Tambuwal, immediately swore him in.
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan has said that the senate under him has been the most productive.
Speaking at the just concluded 3rd Year Ministerial Performance Review Retreat held at the State House, Abuja, Lawan said the prevailing harmonious relationship between the arms of government made the ninth National Assembly the most productive since the inception of the Fourth Republic in 1999.
He further revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari had so far signed into law 84 bills passed by the ninth Assembly, the largest by any Nigerian President.
Lawan said;
“The three arms of government are separate but interdependent, and the ultimate goal of each is to deliver good governance and meet the aspirations of all Nigerians.
“Many Nigerians have come to construe harmonious executive-legislative relations as a sign of weakness or subservience to the executive.
“Nothing can be further from the truth than this misperception, which we must painstakingly work to correct.
“It is not uncommon for some to view the three arms of government as occupying separate and identifiable domains of power and responsibility, with little opportunity or need for interaction.
“However, this kind of dualism is not only untenable but damaging. It is now widely recognised that good national governance depends on core state institutions working cooperatively.
“A constructive relationship between the three arms of government, i.e., legislature, the executive and the judiciary, is essential to effectively maintaining the constitution and promoting the rule of law.
“Timely consultations between all stakeholders can play a significant role in avoiding gridlocks, improving understanding and delivering development to the people on whose behalf we govern.
“The legislature is constituted by the people’s direct representatives and is responsible for reflecting the voices of ordinary Nigerians.
“This cannot be achieved through unnecessary grandstanding, conflict and war of egos. As the cliché rightly states, ‘where two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers’.
“As one of the longest-serving legislators in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, I am well aware of the dangers of adopting a confrontational approach to governance issues.
“A lot of energy and resources (time and money) are dissipated over inconsequential issues rather than on dealing with substantive and livelihood-based issues that confront the average Nigerian.
“At the beginning of the 9th Assembly, we took a deliberate position to collaborate with the executive to ensure that the cardinal objective of government (welfare and security of citizens) is met.
“Hence, despite the media bashing and name-calling, I am proud to say that this National Assembly has been the most productive since 1999.
“The achievements recorded are mainly due to a harmonious executive relation and heightened engagement with the executive on proposed policies and laws long before they are formally presented to Assembly for legislative action.
“This strategy has enabled us to surmount many of the traditional obstacles and bottlenecks that confronted previous Assemblies.
“The synergy between the legislature and the executive has resulted in reforming our budgetary process to entrench transparency and accountability, professionalism, greater citizen participation, and strict guidelines and timelines (January-December).
“In addition, we worked with President Muhammadu Buhari to support the establishment of the Executive, Legislative, and Party Consultative Forum headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to promote harmony in governance towards enhancing service delivery to the Nigerian people.
“In the last few years, the National Assembly provided legislative support and approval towards the realisation of this administration’s unwavering commitment to improving security, transforming the nation’s economy and modernising infrastructure, specifically, railway system, roads and power, across the length and breadth of this country.
“The results of our collaboration are clear for all to see. President Muhammadu Buhari has granted assent to eighty four(84) bills so far, the largest by any Nigerian president.
“Many of the Acts enacted have immediate and long-term impacts on all aspects of our national life, including the economy, security, and democratic institutions.
“These include the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, Electoral Act 2022, Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act, 2022, Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act 2020.
“Other impactful legislations are the Finance Act, 2020, Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020; Police Act, 2020; and the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contract Act (Amendment) Act 2019, etc.
“The impact of the enactment of these landmark legislations will continue to be felt for generations to come.
Indeed, a clear benefit of harmonious legislative-executive relations is the successes recorded by the 9th Assembly in passing laws that have consistently failed to scale through since 1999.
“Other areas of achievements that are hinged on effective collaboration with the executive include the adoption of legislative measures to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Nigerians, mitigate its consequences, limit its spread and improve the efficiency of Nigeria’s health system to cope with the unprecedented challenges occasioned by the pandemic.”
Bashir Machina has been recognized as the candidate of Yobe North senatorial candidate following a judgement given by a Federal High Court sitting in Damaturu, Yobe state’s capital.
The All Progressives Congress was ordered by Justice Fadima Murtala Aminu to forward the name of Machina to the Independent and National Electoral Commission as the authentic winner of the primary held on 28/05/2022.
The Nation reported that the high court judge described the primary election where Senate President Ahmad Lawan emerged as the party’s senatorial candidate as a “phantom”.
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said on Sunday the successful conduct of the All Progressives Congress (APC) national convention would throw the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other rival parties into disarray.
Lawan stated this on his Facebook page while congratulating the new national chairman of the party, Abdullahi Adamu, on his success at the convention.
The former Nasarawa State governor and 72 other persons were elected into various leadership positions at the APC national convention held at the Eagles Square, Abuja, on Saturday.
The Senate president wrote: “I heartily congratulate His Excellency, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, on his emergence as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the just-concluded National Convention of our great party.
The unanimous affirmation of Senator Adamu’s candidature at the convention is a testimony to the tremendous respect that he enjoys across the polity for his integrity, experience, and leadership capacity.
“I share this common belief in his suitability for piloting the affairs of our great party from this very important juncture.
I also congratulate other members of the newly inaugurated National Working Committee (NWC) and other zonal officers of our party on their elections.
“I urge them all to do their best to deliver their mandates and live up to the great expectations of the teeming members of our great party across and outside of Nigeria.
“The emergence of Senator Adamu and his great team from a rancour-free convention has drawn the envies of our rivals and sent jitters down their spines.
“That is unavoidable, given the status of the APC in the Nigerian polity and the warm place it has occupied in the hearts of Nigerians since its formation and assumption of national governance.
“I commend all the aspirants whose sacrifices, cooperation, and abiding love for the party provided the environment and impetus for the attainment of consensus in the leadership selection process at the convention. Posterity will recognise their great sacrifices.
“I also thank President Muhammadu Buhari and other leaders of our great party whose exemplary leadership and wise counsels led to the success of the convention.
“With the successful conclusion of the National Convention, our great party is good to go for our primaries within the timeframe prescribed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said on Tuesday President Muhammadu Buhari has not ordered the removal of fuel subsidy in the country.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has directed all its state councils to mobilize members for a one-day nationwide protest on January 27 over the planned removal of fuel subsidy and imposition of 10 percent excise duty on soft drinks by the Federal Government.
This followed the declaration by the Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, in October last year that the Federal Government made provision for petrol subsidy only for the first six months of 2022.
Lawan, who addressed State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the National Assembly was concerned about the agitations and protests across the country.
He said: “Well, it will be of interest to Nigerians to hear what I have come to discuss with Mr. President among several other things.
“Many of us are very concerned with the recent agitations, protests, and many citizens were so concerned, our constituents across the country are very concerned that the federal government will remove the petroleum subsidy. And for us, as parliamentarians, as legislators representing the people of Nigeria, this must be of interest to us.
And we have just finished our recess, we had gone home to our constituencies and senatorial districts. And will feel the pulse of our people. And I found it necessary to visit Mr. President, as the leader of our government and our leader in the country, to discuss this particular issue of concern to Nigerians, and I’m happy to inform Nigerians that Mr. President never told anyone that the petroleum subsidy should be removed.”
Senate President, Ahmad Lawan has explained that it is significant for the Federal Government to continue to borrow responsibly to fund critical projects in Nigeria because the country is poor.
Lawan disclosed this on Thursday while briefing State House correspondents following a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.
The Senate President believes it is not reasonable for the Federal Government to tax the people more in the face of the present economic condition, adding that the country’s infrastructure must be developed.
He said; “You can’t, in my view and judgement, tax Nigerians further for you to raise the money for infrastructural development; other countries do that, but we’ve serious situation across the country
“So, you can’t put taxes on the people. The only option left is for us to borrow responsibly, utilise prudently and economically, and ensure that the projects are self-sustaining; that they can pay back the loan.
“Our options are really very limited as a country. First, we don’t have the necessary revenue; Nigeria is poor, we shouldn’t deceive ourselves. Nigeria is not rich given the circumstances we live in, given the challenges we have.
“Our resources are so low, our revenues are so low; therefore, the option of not doing anything just to sit (because we’ve no money, we should not go for infrastructure development) is not an option worthy of consideration. You cannot keep the economy stagnant.”
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan has broken his silence on the suspension of Twitter by the federal government.
According to Lawan, the country needs Twitter as much as the social networking service needs Nigeria.
Speaking with journalists at the national assembly in Abuja on Friday, he said the senate is optimistic that the federal government and Twitter will eventually resolve their differences.
The honorable minister of information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, informed Nigerians that they are talking with Twitter to resolve this matter. Our belief is that Nigeria needs Twitter just as much as Twitter needs Nigeria.
We believe that the matter between Twitter and the federal government of Nigeria will be resolved.
“But beyond that, I’m an optimist, I believe all of us will have learnt our lessons,” the Senate President said.
Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, announced the suspension of the social media platform a week ago.
But when the national assembly resumed sitting on Tuesday, the senate, unlike the house of representatives, kept mum over the ban.
The Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, has warned that Nigerian leaders will face a huge challenge should they continue to ignore genuine protest by the youths.
Lawan who made this known during a Senate meeting on Monday said the interest of the youth should be given due attention.
He added that what may come next after the End SARS protest might be inevitable.
“Recently, we had some of our youths protesting genuinely. They were seeking the attention of leaders, and they got the attention of leaders.
“So, our budget, especially for 2021 should be centered on what to do to provide employment opportunities for these youths.
“They demonstrated and protested because they could do so; there are so many other people who may not be youthful but are also in the same need, and they didn’t protest.
“Let’s meet them where they are. We don’t have to wait until they also start to grumble or protest.
“We should be proactive, we should reach out to them and give them what we can and what they need.
“That is the only way that we can make a difference in the lives of the people.
“And for us, elected people, we are going to be accountable. If we escape this one (#EndSARS protests), the other one is inescapable, and I am sure people will know what I am saying,” he said.