THE Presidency yesterday denied an alleged plan to jettison the proposed constitutional amendment, especially the single tenure for the president and governors.
The Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), Dr. Reuben Abati, told journalists at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, that contrary to reports, the debate on the single tenure proposal was healthy for the country’s democracy.
He said that the proposal was at the level of ideas and had not been dropped because of some perceived negative reactions from some Nigerians.
According to Abati, “it is still at the level of ideas. So, how do you withdraw something that hasn’t been submitted? If you check the debate out there, you will see that there are a lot of people supporting the President but with some of them saying the time is not right. It is not on record anywhere that the president said the proposal has been jettisoned.”
The presidential spokesman also announced that the Presidential Committee on Security in the North-East geo-political zone (Boko Haram violence) would submit its report on Tuesday.
Abati also insisted that the envisaged report will be taken seriously by President Goodluck Jonathan.
He said: “The Boko Haram report is to be submitted shortly. And the President will react to it because security is what the President takes very seriously. But you have to know that it is not all that is included in the report that will be discussed publicly because it is a security issue and may affect investigations.”
He assured that with the calibre of persons on the Boko Haram committee and the efforts being put in place by the Federal Government, the report, when received, would not be swept under the carpet.
Abati added: “ This is one report that will not be swept under the carpet. Some of the issues there will not be made public in order not to give those behind it (Boko Haram) undue advantage.”
He said that President Jonathan’s inability to visit Maiduguri since the escalation of the crisis did not amount to his being insensitive, stating that “so far, he has shown enough concern as reflected by the kind of attention given to the situation. He is the president who has the common touch. Don’t forget in terms of his background, he is one of those we can relate to . The secret of his success is that he is not far removed from the people.”
Abati also emphasized the President’s position on issues of accountability, transparency and openness in governance, declaring that no government functionary would be protected from the law if found wanting.
He noted: “the President has the reputation of not interfering with agencies’ processes of handling corruption cases.”
Meanwhile, a former member of the House of Representatives, Dr Jerry Igokwe, has decried the concentration of what he described as “too much authority” in the leadership of the two chambers of the nation’s parliament.
Igokwe delivered a paper titled “Bridging the Citizens and Activities of the National Assembly” during a workshop organised by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) in Abuja at the weekend.
He said there was a need for devolution of certain percentage of some of the powers of the Senate President as well as the Speaker to the National Assembly Administration so as to protect the institutional memories of the parliament.
The former Nigerian Ambassador to Austria spoke against the backdrop of the allegation of graft levelled against the immediate past Speaker of the House, Dimeji Bankole by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He said the former Speaker had while being questioned by the EFCC in connection with the allegation, urged the prosecuting agency to also invite the Clerk of the National Assembly as well as the Clerk of the House of Representatives for questioning, since it was within their purview that the alleged graft was perpetrated.
However, shedding light on the issue in an exclusive interview with The Guardian at the event in Abuja, Igokwe said: “If that is the case, then it is important to devolve some of the powers to the administration. It could be in a certain percentage but it is still very important because members and principal officers come and go but the institutional memories reside in the administration.
“Members and principal officers come and go but the institutional memories reside in the administration. So there must be some way of holding the people who are in the administration responsible for anything that goes wrong in the National Assembly.
“The legislature is not only about members of the National Assembly, it is an institution, and there must be some residual powers vested in the administration of the National Assembly that should be there as a concept. Why shouldn’t they share in some of the responsibility in what happens”? he queried.
The former lawmaker earlier called on the 7th National Assembly to accord priority to public hearings in the legislative process so as to make laws that will have the input of the various interests in the society.
“The legislature does not have the monopoly of knowledge, expertise and experience required for lawmaking”, he noted.
Earlier in his address, Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly, Muyiwa Adejokun expressed the need for a synergy among all legislative aides, committee clerks, media and civil society organisations among other stakeholders to enable the legislature in the country to thrive.
This, according to Adejokun, will help to expand the avenues for citizens to participate in shaping policies that affect their lives.
The Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), Dr. Reuben Abati, told journalists at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, that contrary to reports, the debate on the single tenure proposal was healthy for the country’s democracy.
He said that the proposal was at the level of ideas and had not been dropped because of some perceived negative reactions from some Nigerians.
According to Abati, “it is still at the level of ideas. So, how do you withdraw something that hasn’t been submitted? If you check the debate out there, you will see that there are a lot of people supporting the President but with some of them saying the time is not right. It is not on record anywhere that the president said the proposal has been jettisoned.”
The presidential spokesman also announced that the Presidential Committee on Security in the North-East geo-political zone (Boko Haram violence) would submit its report on Tuesday.
Abati also insisted that the envisaged report will be taken seriously by President Goodluck Jonathan.
He said: “The Boko Haram report is to be submitted shortly. And the President will react to it because security is what the President takes very seriously. But you have to know that it is not all that is included in the report that will be discussed publicly because it is a security issue and may affect investigations.”
He assured that with the calibre of persons on the Boko Haram committee and the efforts being put in place by the Federal Government, the report, when received, would not be swept under the carpet.
Abati added: “ This is one report that will not be swept under the carpet. Some of the issues there will not be made public in order not to give those behind it (Boko Haram) undue advantage.”
He said that President Jonathan’s inability to visit Maiduguri since the escalation of the crisis did not amount to his being insensitive, stating that “so far, he has shown enough concern as reflected by the kind of attention given to the situation. He is the president who has the common touch. Don’t forget in terms of his background, he is one of those we can relate to . The secret of his success is that he is not far removed from the people.”
Abati also emphasized the President’s position on issues of accountability, transparency and openness in governance, declaring that no government functionary would be protected from the law if found wanting.
He noted: “the President has the reputation of not interfering with agencies’ processes of handling corruption cases.”
Meanwhile, a former member of the House of Representatives, Dr Jerry Igokwe, has decried the concentration of what he described as “too much authority” in the leadership of the two chambers of the nation’s parliament.
Igokwe delivered a paper titled “Bridging the Citizens and Activities of the National Assembly” during a workshop organised by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) in Abuja at the weekend.
He said there was a need for devolution of certain percentage of some of the powers of the Senate President as well as the Speaker to the National Assembly Administration so as to protect the institutional memories of the parliament.
The former Nigerian Ambassador to Austria spoke against the backdrop of the allegation of graft levelled against the immediate past Speaker of the House, Dimeji Bankole by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He said the former Speaker had while being questioned by the EFCC in connection with the allegation, urged the prosecuting agency to also invite the Clerk of the National Assembly as well as the Clerk of the House of Representatives for questioning, since it was within their purview that the alleged graft was perpetrated.
However, shedding light on the issue in an exclusive interview with The Guardian at the event in Abuja, Igokwe said: “If that is the case, then it is important to devolve some of the powers to the administration. It could be in a certain percentage but it is still very important because members and principal officers come and go but the institutional memories reside in the administration.
“Members and principal officers come and go but the institutional memories reside in the administration. So there must be some way of holding the people who are in the administration responsible for anything that goes wrong in the National Assembly.
“The legislature is not only about members of the National Assembly, it is an institution, and there must be some residual powers vested in the administration of the National Assembly that should be there as a concept. Why shouldn’t they share in some of the responsibility in what happens”? he queried.
The former lawmaker earlier called on the 7th National Assembly to accord priority to public hearings in the legislative process so as to make laws that will have the input of the various interests in the society.
“The legislature does not have the monopoly of knowledge, expertise and experience required for lawmaking”, he noted.
Earlier in his address, Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly, Muyiwa Adejokun expressed the need for a synergy among all legislative aides, committee clerks, media and civil society organisations among other stakeholders to enable the legislature in the country to thrive.
This, according to Adejokun, will help to expand the avenues for citizens to participate in shaping policies that affect their lives.
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