Seven crucial assignments awaiting Senate, Reps

The stage is set for full operations of the National Assembly with the emergence of the presiding officers, as well as other principal officers. The choice of president of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio and emergence of Honourable Tajudeen Abbas as Speaker, House of Representatives, culminated into the choice of other principal officers of both chambers of the National Assembly on Tuesday. Their emergence was the climax of intense lobby and horse-trading by many political interests and camps on who gets what, with the resultant accusations and counter-accusations from the main opposition parties about an alleged plot by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to foist principal officers on the Minority Caucus in the alleged bid to muzzle opposition at the National Assembly.

But, the final choices unveiled at resumption of the lawmakers came with a lot of sacrifice and price paid by different camps. A major casualty of the choices apparently is the immediate governor of Sokoto State and ex-Speaker of the House, Senator Aminu Tambuwal, who, against many expectations, lost out in the bid to becoming the Senate Minority Leader. His party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had, on Monday, declared that it was yet to agree on its caucus leadership in the Senate. Another political figure who played strategic role in the battle for supremacy and influence is said to be the immediate past governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike. Though Wike did not scceed in planting his choice senstor as minority leader, he, however, stopped Tambuwal. He was said to have a separate senator from the PDP in mind as his preferred choice to checkmate other powerful forces in the main opposition party (PDP) over minority leadership in the National Assembly.

Expedient issues

As the National Assembly commences real work, the country is beset by awesome challenges. Their frightening nature is because most of them have become protracted despite promises by successive government of tackling those challenges headlong. National economy, insecurity, lethargic leadership, poor service delivery, galloping inflation and electoral reforms are among the realities staring the beleaguered people in the face. So, as the lawmakers resume, there are at least seven key issues awaiting them and that require expeditious engagement and resolution. Nonetheless, while some of the expected assignments might appear seasonal rituals, their importance cannot be underrated because they are pivotal to the running and operations of the National Assembly, especially on the powers of appropriation, legislation and oversight functions.

One of them is the constitution of standing committees for the purpose of facilitating the activities of the Legislature. As an integral part of the heart of the legislature, key decisions are taken after the committees would have done the ground work and presented their reports at plenary for thorough scrutiny, debate and resolution. No doubt, the distribution of membership of those committees will be predicated on the political structure in the National Assembly, as the APC only has a majority in the Senate, while the opposition parties hold sway cumulatively in the House. Part of the standing Rules is that the Minority party should get the chairman of certain strategic committees to guarantee transparency, accountability and probity in the business of the legislature.

Another critical assignment, especially before the Senate is the screening of ministerial nominees to be forwarded to the president of the Senate shortly. There is much expectation by Nigerians on who will make the list of would-be ministers to be compiled by President Bola Tinubu. The media has been abuzz with speculations, permutations and likely choices of the president based on his promise to settle for mostly technocrats and professionals with proven experience, integrity, character and passion to serve their fatherland. So far, the list of those likely ministers remains a top secret to the president.

The confirmation of the new security chiefs is another crucial assignment on the table for the lawmakers. Though the security chiefs proceeded in the discharge of their statutory and primary function of securing the lives, property and the sovereignty of the country after the shakeup in the nation’s security architecture by the president, their appointments are subject to confirmation by the Senate. The officers have held consultations with other top brass in their different arms and formations and gave snippets about their vision and agenda to fix the debilitating security issues ranging from banditry to insurgency. The new National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu was quoted as saying there has been less security breaches since the overhaul of the security structure.

Nigerians are waiting with baited breath on how the changes translate into a steady progression in the protection of lives and property. The prevailing situation in states like Sokoto, Benue, Katsina, Plateau, among others, remain precarious.

The removal of subsidy from Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) by the Federal Government was among the pertinent issues that engaged the attention of the 10th National Assembly shortly after it was inaugurated on June 13. Many of the members expressed serious concern, following the spiraling effects of the decision by the government, calling on the authorities to quickly work out ways of alleviating the negative impact on the populace. A major intervention of the legislature as it resumes from recess after Sallah festivities would be in terms of appropriation for whatever expenditure the government might want to incur in the bid to cushion the gnawing effects of the removal of subsidy from petrol. The issue has led to an astronomical rise in the cost of living, weakened the purchasing power of Nigerians and driven more citizens into the unemployment market with attendant job losses in the private sector.

With the domino effects of the petrol subsidy removal ravaging all the sectors of the economy and left workers and other citizens literally castrated, prostrate and demobilised, the executive and the organised labour are currently considering the option of a new national minimum wage; something that might be close to a living wage. The implication of the move is that the extant law that supports the existing national minimum wage will require an urgent legislative action, ostensibly to calm frayed nerves and serve as soothing balm for the entire populace. Already, some state governments have introduced measures, including salary increase, far above the existing national minimum wage, as well as adjustment of the number of days in a week workers can come to the office, as the effects of the (subsidy) removal bite harder.

It requires pragmatic steps that could further restore public confidence as many believe that the last legislature skewed its activities far more from the overwhelming wishes and aspirations of the public. Thus, the hope is that the new leadership should be able to assert the independence of the third arm of government without necessarily appearing confrontational to the executive and the judiciary. The way the National Assembly responds to issues with direct impact on the lives of the people will signpost the image and character and form it will take for the next four years as the legislative arm of government. A former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Olisa Agbakoba identified this as among the cardinal goals the 10th assembly must address. In responding to the claim by the leadership of the National Assembly in the last dispensation that it performed well, a veteran journalist, Chief Ray Ekpu said it was far from the reality as far the people were concerned. He quoted the leadership to have said that 1,129 bill were presented on the floor of the ninth Senate and over 500 of them were passed, while the then President Muhammadu Buhari assented to 131 bills, which Senator Ahmad Lawan said was the highest in the history of lawmaking in Nigeria. “That sounds like a good record but many Nigerians had urged the National Assembly to call President Muhammadu Buhari’s bluff when he withheld assent to some of the bills. The National Assembly failed to do so. That is why the assented bills come to just about one quarter of the passed bills,” Akpu remarked. That was to corroborate the need for the legislature to preserve the sanctity of its independence as an arm of government.

Wave of levies, taxation

There has to be a synergy between the executive and the legislature on the polities behind the wave of taxation and levies already been imposed on citizens and goods and services. The public outrage forced DISCOs to suspend their planned fresh hike in electricity tariff, whereas other agencies of government have gone ahead to introduce different forms of abhorrent and oppressive levies. Yet the national minimum wage remains at N30, 000.  All these actions have eaten deep into the purchasing power of the people with consequent dire effects on their health and psyche.

Consequently, the National Assembly will be relying on its new principal officers to drive the process by way of compromise, behind-the-scene discussions and agreement towards guaranteeing seamless resolutions of perceived vexatious national issues, especially bordering on national security and welfare of the citizens. Decisions have to be made expeditiously now due to the dire strait the country has found itself in different fronts.

Baited breath

Individuals and groups that have been hyperactive in the struggle to improve good governance leadership in a democracy are advancing certain proactive steps that the 10th assembly must embark on to make a difference. This is informed by what they consider as the trajectories of the legislature since 1999, when the country restored civil rule. For example, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) says it expects the 10th Assembly to adhere strictly to its primary functions so that government policies and programmes could have a human face. According to the a spokesman of CUPP, Comrade Mark Adebayo, the legislature is a crucial organ of government in any democracy being the structure that brings together  the direct representatives of the people who deliberate on policies and make laws that impact directly on the lives of Nigerians and the destiny of the country at large. “Let Nigerians see you as their true representatives who feel their pains and understand their challenges and are determined to give them quality representation that would assuage their challenges and secure their hopes for a better life and future.”