Senate President, Bukola Saraki,
has said that the National Assembly is the most misunderstood arm of government
in Nigeria.
He attributed the misconception
to the role of the legislature in stabilizing democracy and ensuring
accountability in governance.
Saraki spoke on Monday at the
first ever National Assembly Open Week (NASSOW).
He said: “We in the 8th National
Assembly are directed by the voice of the people, in the full knowledge that
governance is the collective responsibility of all arms of Government. The onus
is on those who have been elected to be accountable, while the governed should
also play their part by continuously engaging representatives, in order to put
across their desires and get clarity on how legislators are working to help
actualise these yearnings.
“However, it remains a concern
that, because the legislature is the youngest arm of government in Nigeria, it
is the most misunderstood. This is largely due to an abiding misconception as
to the role of the legislature and the work we are doing to stabilise democracy
and ensure accountability in governance. It is my expectation that this
programme will go a long way towards helping to deepen the public understanding
of the very real, indispensable work done by lawmakers, in line with our
constitutional mandate.
“One evidence of the negative
perception is the lack of understanding of the budget process and the role of
the National Assembly, which is seen, unfairly, as holding up the passing of
the budget. Nothing could be further from the truth. We promised and were the
first Nigerian legislature to make the civil society part of the budget process
through the institutionalisation of the Public Hearing process as part of the
Budget process. For the first time, civil society has a voice at the table,
with regard to the Budget. Public Hearing on the Budget as part of the
enactment process has come to stay.
“Our Legislative Agenda includes
core points including extensive oversight, core fiscal policy, budget scrutiny
and passage – as well as transparency in the Budget of the National Assembly
itself. I am happy to note that we have recorded many achievements in our
oversight role; and in terms of budget transparency, we led by example; in a
historic first, we opened up the National Assembly Budget for public inspection.
“In addition, electronic voting
commenced in 2006 in this 8th National Assembly. We have a fully functional
website where citizens can find information on their representatives in the
Senate and the House. We also instituted live streams of plenary online, to
enable citizens to follow proceedings in order to engage with and participate
in the law-making process.
“The 8th Senate has passed more
bills than any before it, and has resolved disputes in 138 petitions – this
performance is unprecedented. We are working for Nigerians and by this Open
Week, we are opening up even wider avenues for the people to get a better
understanding of what we do, and to engage with us and make their views known,
so we can serve them better.
“It is popularly said about
democracy that it is of the people, by the people and for the people. This can
only be so if the people are provided with the information they need to more
actively participate in governance. We recognise that it is our job as
lawmakers to ensure that Nigerians are carried along in the law-making process.
It is our mandate to drive public policy that will improve the well-being of
Nigerians. Staying in touch with our constituents will allow us to track the
performance of these policies, and this feedback can be used to fine-tune or
amend these policies.”
Sorry, all this bla, bla, bla doesn't represent what the masses yearned for. Delaying budget and 'padding' it with projects not included by the Executive arm of government and removing or reducing amount to complete major projects aren't in the interest of the masses.
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