Former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki on Wednesday underscored the importance of legislative oversight of executive policies and actions. He described it as a vital role which the parliament must play by “speaking truth to power, standing with the people, and fulfilling our constitutional roles”
Saraki who was reacting to the development in the Red Chamber (Senate) on Wednesday said the inquiries of the day on the controversial N23 trillion Ways And Means by the previous administration of President Muhammadu Buhari should have been done by the 9th Assembly presided over by Senator Ahmed Lawan.
In a fairly lengthy post on his verified X account @bukolasaraki, the former two term Governor of Kwara State said :
“Did you listen to the Senate deliberations today? What we witnessed in the Red Chamber underscores the vital role of legislative oversight and the importance of speaking truth, standing with the people, and fulfilling our constitutional roles.
“Today’s inquiries were those that the 9th Senate should have pursued but evidently did not, resulting in the current repercussions for their inaction.
“It brought back memories of the 8th Senate’s insistence on transparency and accountability. I remember when we were asking for details of the foreign loan requests brought by the Buhari administration and were portrayed as enemies of the state and obstructive to national progress.
“I must acknowledge the 10th Senate’s effort in even deliberating on these crucial issues.
“This moment stands as a powerful reminder that the legislative arm of government must effectively play its constitutional role at all times in the interest of the people they represent, despite the personal sacrifices that may need to be made. Only then will the public and the people truly benefit.
‘I sincerely hope we learn from the mistakes of the past.”
On Wednesday, the Nigerian Senate was thrown into a rowdy and hilarious session when the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the immediate past Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan and Senate Chief Whip, Senator Ali Ndume disagreed over the N23 trillion Ways & Means funds approved by the 9th Assembly under the leadership of former Senate President, Lawan.
while addressing the Senate on the report of the Senate Committee set up to probe the Ways & Means funds approved by the 9th Assembly for former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, Akpabio said what the Senate did under the leadership of Lawan had thrown Nigeria into a more economic mess.
Akpabio said, “We are saying what you did at that time has put the nation in more mess economically. Therefore, because of the current economic situation we have found ourselves, there is the need for us to look at the details to know whether they were rightly spent.”
Lawan would however, not have any of that as he fired back that there is nothing the National Assembly that makes laws cannot look into and review.
He said that if there were expenditures wrongly done in contradiction to the provision of the constitution, the National Assembly could look at the expenditures and if sanctions were needed for unlawful actions or unauthorised expenditures, the National Assembly would provide the sanctions.
“What the 9th National Assembly approved or rectified in terms of Ways & Means was not N29 trillion or N30 trillion, it was N22 trillion. But there was N819 billion to attend to, deal with and address very serious infrastructure dilapidations that we had across the country.
“If we have a Ways & Means that is N30 trillion today, that means something happened between then and now, and it is for the National Assembly to find out what happened.”
Lawan insisted that nobody in the chamber should suggest that the Assembly should not look into what they feel is in the public interest, “but what Nigerians want today is food and security.
“Let us not put the cart before the horse. Let’s consider it necessary to look at what happened in the past, but we in the present and the present is so unpleasant and we have to act very swiftly,” he said.
Responding to Lawan’s submission, Akpabio said, “Even though the Ways & Means were part of the things that put us where we are today, we are saying that expenses that were not explained, that we don’t have details about put us in the indebtedness that we are seeing today.”
Akpabio noted that it has affected the ability of the government to provide essential needs and services to Nigerians and that the National Assembly needs to look into it.
Speaking further, Akpabio confronted the Senate Chief Whip, Ndume, that he was part of the 9th Senate that approved the Ways & Means, but Ndume quickly denied being involved in its approval.
Ndume said, “I was not there; check the record. You cannot approve illegality. What they did was illegal. The Senate doesn’t have the right, let it be on record.”
Ndume’s denial of being part of lawmakers who approved the Ways & Means in the 9th Senate threw the session into rowdiness as some of the lawmakers insisted that Ndume was involved.
Ndume argued that the Senate only has the right of approval but doesn’t have the right to rectify when money has been spent.
“We don’t have the right to rectify, we only have the right to approve,” he said.
He further said that the 9th Senate only approved N819 billion and that the details of other funds that had been spent should be provided.
He said, “It has never been provided till date. This committee should find out what happened to the money. People must be held responsible and they should come and explain to this Senate what they did with the money. Now is the time that people are looking for their money everywhere, where is that money?”
Akpabio then jokingly said, “I want you to know that Senator Ndume cannot remember being there when the thing happened.”
