Senate Moves To Make Its Resolutions Binding on Nigerian Government.

A bill seeking to compel the Executive to implement and give effect to the outcome of far-reaching investigations conducted by the National Assembly has been referred to the Constitution Amendment Committee by the Senate.

Sponsor of the bill, Senator Anthony Adeniyi explained that it seeks to amend Section 88 of the constitution, which deals with the powers of the National Assembly to conduct investigations into any matter or anything within its legislative powers or persons.

 

He lamented that it has become fashionable for the Executive to treat far-reaching findings of the National Assembly with disdain.

 

“By and large, such conduct of the Executive stems from the fact that there are self-protection mechanisms designed to insulate the Executive from paying the price of culpability,” he said.

 

“It is very obvious that going by the provisions of Section 88 of the constitution, it is inchoate to the extent that apart from conferring on the National Assembly vires to expose corruption, waste and maladministration, it did not provide for any further step or thing to be done either by the National Assembly or the Executive, which is the sole reason justifying support for the bill.”

 

The Senate, of recent, has been angered by failure of the Executive to attach any form of importance to its resolutions. Notably, Minister of Information, Labaran Maku had described National Assembly resolutions as mere advice not binding on the Executive, although the Senate later succeeded in literally forcing him to eat his words.

 

It is obvious that the Nigerian Government does not have any respect for the Senate and House of REpresentative and now is time to put this right.  What do you think?