Lawan Says NASS Won’t Be Rubber Stamp Under His Leadership

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Wednesday, June 19th, 2019

By Rotimi Fadeyi

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, has said that the National Assembly under his leadership would not be a rubber stamp to executive branch.

Speaking with State House Correspondents after a closed door meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Lawan said the National Assembly would properly carry out its oversight functions.

“There will be nothing like rubber stamp. So far I have never seen a National Assembly that had a rubber stamp leadership and I have been around for twenty years to that.

“But one thing I must tell you is that while the desire to remain sufficiently on our track, we will ensure that oversight function are properly carried out but we will cooperate fully and give total support to the administration to ensure that there is good governance”, he said

He explained that Nigerians should not express any fear that the National Assembly would be a rubber stamp

“There is no need for any fear that we will be a rubber stamp National Assembly. Perhaps and probably with time Nigeria will come to see that what we desire and what will happen by the grace of God will be a working relationship that endear the entire administration and government to the people of Nigeria. So there is no cause for alarm”, he stated.

“A parliament is not a primary school or a secondary school where you have a headmaster or principal that will dictate to his students. Parliament is an aggregate or an assemblage of people that have equal status.”

“Being elected as Senate President does not mean that I’m the boss of the other Senators. I’m simply to coordinate and aggregate views and lead debates. Whoever is in the majority, that will be the decision of the Senate appropriately and accordingly”, Lawan added.

According to him, members of the National Assembly must remain united and focused in order to deliver legislative interventions that would be necessary for good governance in the country.

“We believe that this is the time and opportunity for us to consolidate the kind of support that we received across the political parties in the National Assembly. We believe that we must remain united in the National Assembly; we must remain focused for us to be able to deliver those legislative interventions that would be necessary for good governance in the country”

“We also believe that we must have a relationship with the executive arm of government that is based on cooperation and collaboration. It is our desire in the ninth National Assembly to work seamlessly with the executive arm of government because we believe that Nigerians did not make a mistake for voting for the executive as presently constituted and the legislature as it is today”

“So, we are in it together with the executive arm of government to work in such a fashion to be able to deliver those democracy dividends that Nigerians need today”, Lawan said.

“It is our desire also to ensure that whoever is appointed by the executive arm of government performs his or her functions optimally. We will ensure that we provide those enablers that will make them perform but we also expect them to work hard to ensure that Mr. President and this administration leave the kind of legacies that we all desire”, he added