<\/p>\nThough the sixth National Assembly received over 500 bills and passed about 100 including the Freedom of Information bill during its duration, stakeholders want the newly inaugurated lawmakers to go the extra mile in the new dispensation, writes CHARLES ABAH.<\/span><\/p>\nWith the election of David Mark and Ike Ekweremadu as the Senate President and deputy Senate President respectively as well as the election of the House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal and his deputy, Emeka Ihedioha, the stage is now properly set for the resumption of legislative activities at the National Assembly on Tuesday, June 28.<\/span><\/p>\nMembers of the two houses had met three weeks ago where these officials, who will superintend the affairs of the seventh National Assembly were elected. Therefore, as they converge on Abuja to begin another legislative life, as it were, the expectations among the stakeholders and citizenry are high.<\/span><\/p>\nIndeed, the expectations are not out of place as Mark had promised on inauguration last June 6, that he would continue with, and even deepen the collegiate leadership style, which was the hallmark of the last session.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cWe would seek to strengthen the analytical capacity of the National Assembly as it relates to budgeting and oversight functions. Over the next few weeks, we need to identify and prioritize key areas where legislation would be required for the rapid transformation of the economy and polity. The President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, made \u2018transformation\u2019 the focus of his campaign and on that basis; Nigerians gave him an overwhelming mandate. Therefore, the expectations of the people are high; to meet these expectations, we must go beyond crisis management to transformation,\u201d Mark declared.<\/span><\/p>\nNo doubt, the expectations are many and varied. First, they expect the lawmakers to consider urgently the President\u2019s cabinet list. The thinking is that the new ministers will help the president in giving the country a sense of direction. For instance, while urging the senate to reconvene, the National Coordinator of Transform Nigeria Movement, Mr. Law Mefor, said the action would help get the wheel of the Federal Government moving.<\/span><\/p>\nThe group in setting agenda for the lawmakers also enjoined them to avoid constituency project so that they could concentrate on their representative duties and other oversight functions.<\/span><\/p>\nMefor said, \u201cThe newly inaugurated NASS should hands off constituency projects as the manner this is done today has compromised the National Assembly gravely, rendering it incapable of carrying out its oversight function which is one of the three cardinal functions of a legislature. They should focus on their primary assignments and mingle less in executive business. We want them to connect with people more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nThe TNM coordinator, who also urged them to endeavour to set a timetable for the budget, said there was the need for them to reduce their jumbo pay, and desist from collapsing their capital and recurrent votes.<\/span><\/p>\nHowever, a non-governmental group, Campaign for Democracy, which acknowledged that the legislature occupies an important position in a democratic setting, noted unfortunately that the NASS has not lived up to the people\u2019s expectation. Speaking through its President, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, the CD, this time around, wants members of the seventh National Assembly to improve on the \u2018little\u2019 achievements of their predecessors.<\/span><\/p>\nBesides charging them to shun un-popular stance of the previous assembly, she implored them to be guided by transparency and accountability.<\/span><\/p>\nShe said, \u201cThe very first expectation of the people will be for the NASS to direct all its legislative and oversight functions towards the enhancement of transparency, accountability, good governance and sustainable development. These should form the core of the agenda of the NASS in this new administration.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cThe second, will be the development of a mechanism that ensures that members run their constituency offices, carry their constituents along on the matters of national interest through the issuance of press releases, town hall meetings, circulation of official reports on debates within her\/his constituency.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cThirdly, the seventh NASS should manage legislative time well to be able to give quality service to Nigerians. There are hundreds of bills pending before NASS from 2007 to date, most of these bills are bills that would direct positive impact on the lives of millions of Nigerians but they were poorly attended to by the immediate past NASS.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nThe CD president identified such pending bills as Violence Against Persons Prohibition bill 2010, New Wages bill, Child Rights bill, and the Extractive Industry Transparency bill etc, saying they need urgent attention since they are critical to the people.<\/span><\/p>\nOther stakeholders like Mefor and the Executive Director of the Civil Liberties Organisation, Mr. Ibuchukwu Ezike, want the outstanding bills from the sixth assembly, like the Petroleum Industry Bill, National Transport Commission bill, Mortgage Regulatory bill, Gunshot bill, Labour bill as well as the Nigeria Coast Guard bill among others to be sort out before embarking on fresh ones.<\/span><\/p>\nAccording to them, the new NASS must demonstrate unprecedented political will to ensure that the pending bills are passed in good time, instead of spending quality time on jamboree and unproductive issues.<\/span><\/p>\nBut beyond the outstanding bills, the CLO is, particularly, more poignant in its appeal to the lawmakers. For the group, the issue of corruption should not be treated with kid gloves in their new enterprise.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cWe expect the seventh National Assembly to address the serious issue of corruption that has dwarfed Nigeria\u2019s growth, brought monumental shame on her citizens and made the people to feed from the dustbins in the midst of plenty.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cWe want them to take the matter of giving Nigeria a people\u2019s constitution very seriously as well as exercise thorough and strict oversight functions on other arms of government, agencies, commissions and parastatals to ensure that money voted for projects are judiciously used for such initiatives,\u201d Ezike said.<\/span><\/p>\nAgain, as the lawmakers gather once more, the citizenry expect them to intensify efforts in attending to the people\u2019s interest with more seriousness and actions rather than engaging in issues that will line their pockets.<\/span><\/p>\nPerhaps in support of the call, Okei-Odumakin said, \u201cThe National Assembly should perform its oversight functions by ensuring that the issue of irregular power supply is put to final rest and by ensuring that government budget performance improves up to 99 per cent. They should also tackle unemployment and poverty with more concerted efforts and ensure that the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies perform their function well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nLooking further than the local scene, CLO on the other hand wants the NASS to address the repression of Nigerians in foreign lands and caution foreigners who violate Nigeria laws with impunity and insult.<\/span><\/p>\nMeanwhile, Ekweremadu, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Paul Odenyi, said the seventh senate would further deliver on its constitutional responsibilities, just as it would participate actively in sub-regional organisations to promote democratic order around the world.<\/span><\/p>\nEven as these divergent calls rent the air, Nigerians look forward to seeing the incumbent lawmakers making a tremendous impact that will alter the face of legislation in the present dispensation.<\/span><\/p>\nAs far as they are concerned, this subtle contribution will help in strengthening the country\u2019s renascent democracy.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\nRead More:
\nFresh agenda as N\u2019Assembly reconvenes<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Though the sixth National Assembly received over 500 bills and passed about 100 including the Freedom of Information bill during its duration, stakeholders want the newly inaugurated lawmakers to go the extra mile in the new dispensation, writes CHARLES ABAH. With the election of David Mark and Ike Ekweremadu as the Senate President and deputy Senate President respectively as well as the election of the House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal and his deputy, Emeka Ihedioha, the stage is now properly set for the resumption of legislative activities at the National Assembly on Tuesday, June 28. Members of the two houses had met three weeks ago where these officials, who will superintend the affairs of the seventh National Assembly were elected. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":437259,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-447790","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment"},"yoast_head":"\n
Fresh agenda as N\u2019Assembly reconvenes - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/06\/26\/fresh-agenda-as-nassembly-reconvenes\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Fresh agenda as N\u2019Assembly reconvenes - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Though the sixth National Assembly received over 500 bills and passed about 100 including the Freedom of Information bill during its duration, stakeholders want the newly inaugurated lawmakers to go the extra mile in the new dispensation, writes CHARLES ABAH. With the election of David Mark and Ike Ekweremadu as the Senate President and deputy Senate President respectively as well as the election of the House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal and his deputy, Emeka Ihedioha, the stage is now properly set for the resumption of legislative activities at the National Assembly on Tuesday, June 28. Members of the two houses had met three weeks ago where these officials, who will superintend the affairs of the seventh National Assembly were elected.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ghanamma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ghanamma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/06\/26\/fresh-agenda-as-nassembly-reconvenes\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/06\/26\/fresh-agenda-as-nassembly-reconvenes\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"Fresh agenda as N\u2019Assembly reconvenes\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-06-26T06:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/06\/26\/fresh-agenda-as-nassembly-reconvenes\/\"},\"wordCount\":1195,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/06\/26\/fresh-agenda-as-nassembly-reconvenes\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"articleSection\":[\"Entertainment\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/06\/26\/fresh-agenda-as-nassembly-reconvenes\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/06\/26\/fresh-agenda-as-nassembly-reconvenes\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/06\/26\/fresh-agenda-as-nassembly-reconvenes\/\",\"name\":\"Fresh agenda as N\u2019Assembly reconvenes - Ghanamma.com\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/06\/26\/fresh-agenda-as-nassembly-reconvenes\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/06\/26\/fresh-agenda-as-nassembly-reconvenes\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-06-26T06:00:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/06\/26\/fresh-agenda-as-nassembly-reconvenes\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/06\/26\/fresh-agenda-as-nassembly-reconvenes\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/\",\"name\":\"Ghanamma.com\",\"description\":\"News In Ghana - Latest Ghana News Headlines\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Fresh agenda as N\u2019Assembly reconvenes - Ghanamma.com","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/06\/26\/fresh-agenda-as-nassembly-reconvenes\/","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Fresh agenda as N\u2019Assembly reconvenes - Ghanamma.com","twitter_description":"Though the sixth National Assembly received over 500 bills and passed about 100 including the Freedom of Information bill during its duration, stakeholders want the newly inaugurated lawmakers to go the extra mile in the new dispensation, writes CHARLES ABAH. With the election of David Mark and Ike Ekweremadu as the Senate President and deputy Senate President respectively as well as the election of the House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal and his deputy, Emeka Ihedioha, the stage is now properly set for the resumption of legislative activities at the National Assembly on Tuesday, June 28. 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