As The Certain Close On A Senate Presidency

With its expected inauguration on June 11, the 8th National Assembly under the able leadership of Dr. Bukola Saraki, will wind down to give way for the 9th Assembly. Without doubt, there have been ups and downs in the red chamber under him. Rewind a bit to his inaugural speech, where he said Nigerians are in need of a change “From impunity and elite arrogance to a life of accountability and respect for every citizen, regardless of tribe, gender, religion, region or political persuasion.” Sources who worked closely to him say these words guided the 8th Senate throughout its tenure, spurring it to action, and providing interventions.
The politics of the 8th Senate and the events that shaped its 4-year span are inescapably tied to how Saraki emerged as its president amid serious opposition, including resistance from his former party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). Trouble began for the Saraki-led National Assembly when the ruling APC could not put its house in order before the June 9, 2015 inauguration of the Assembly. And while some factions slept at the International Conference Centre, Saraki and Dogara emerged leaders, with Senator Ike Ekweremadu from the opposition party (PDP) as Deputy President of the Senate.
Members of the Unity Forum, an umbrella body of all those who worked for, and supported Ahmed Lawan against Saraki gave the Senate leadership a lot of trouble until a truce was made through committee chairmanship arrangements with which the senate leadership made peace with members.
And when two elephants fight, it is indeed the grass that suffers, hence, outwitting the APC to hijack the leadership of the National Assembly no doubt shocked many. Saraki endured a lengthy Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) trial on charges of false assets declaration, in and out of courts for two years.
At a point, Saraki was arraigned before the CCT over allegations of non-declaration of his assets since leaving office as governor in 2011.The case dragged on till the Supreme Court discharged and acquitted him. The Nigeria Police also levelled allegations against him over the Offa robbery incident that claimed over 30 lives in April 2017, and again the Senate President approached the court even as the Attorney-General of the federation advised the police that there was no strong evidence.
The need for strong democratic institutions in the provision of good governance mandates that the National Assembly remains an arm of government whose integrity and autonomy must not be compromised. The reality, however, is that over the years, the Nigerian legislature had become an institution with shaky political will to check the excesses of other arms of government. In carrying out its legislative and oversight functions, the 8th Senate realised that the relationship between itself and the executive had grown strained. This followed its refusal to assent to certain demands of the executive that the Senate believed were antithetical to the spirit of democracy.
Saraki’s leadership marked several battles between the executive and the legislative arms of government. He had in several fora reiterated that without a strong parliament and principle of separation of powers among the three arms of government, Nigeria cannot move forward. The strained relationship between both arms turned into a metaphorical arm-wrestling match that took a more serious dimension when men of the Department of State Security Services (DSS) barricaded the National Assembly on the 8th of April 2018. In full glare, masked men laid siege to the National Assembly complex. It took Saraki’s bold stance to see the situation deescalate. Following that, at a press conference, he stated that the Nigerian Senate would neither renege in the dispensation of its duties, nor cower in defence of Nigeria’s democracy.
Though a number of landmark legislations did not receive executive assent to become law, the 8th Senate through various prompt interventions in critical sections of Nigeria’s journey to development stood tall. It has passed over 230 bills, in addition to clearing some 151 public petitions, surpassing the 5th Senate, which passed 129 bills in four years had the highest number of bills, as against the 6th Senate with 72 bills, and 128 passed by the 7th Senate.
The present Senate worked to grow the economy by passing bills like the Companies and Allied Matters Act; the Secured Transactions in Movable Assets Act; the Credit Bureau Reporting Act and the Warehouse Receipts Bill; Nigerian Railways Authority Bill, and the National Transportation Commission Bill because they were designed to bring about notable reforms to the business environment and strengthen the country’s legislative frameworks.
Some other important bills passed by the 8th Senate, which have national appeal are the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit Bill; the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill; the Witness Protection Bill; the Whistleblower Protection Bill, and the Federal Audit Service Commission Bill. These were efforts directed towards supporting the Federal Government’s fight against corruption.
Worthy of note is the fact that the National Assembly was quick to act in a manner that prevented Nigeria from being expelled from the global financial intelligence community by expediting the passage of the NFIU Bill, which guarantees the exchange of financial intelligence.
In 2017 when the Nigerian Senate passed the ‘Not Too Young To Run Bill’, it was in response to removing barriers and giving youths the opportunity to serve the country as elected officials. The bill, conceived and pushed by the Youth Initiative for Advocacy Growth & Advancement (YIAGA), was sponsored by Honourable Tony Nwulu and Senator Abdulaziz Nyako in the National Assembly.
The 8th Senate took an active role in supporting youth-led initiatives and movements. During a meeting with the Obama Foundation Leadership Programme winners, Saraki showcased key legislation that had been passed to solve many of the problems the participants raised. Bills such as the UBE Act to improve funding for basic education, the Electronic Transactions Bill that protects online transactions and the Movable Assets Act that make loans accessible for young people were discussed.
An unprecedented increase in security incidents around several parts of Nigeria by Boko Haram on the one hand and herdsmen-pastoralist necessitated the intervention of the Senate. By the end of 2017, the security challenge had become overwhelming. In response, the Senate organised a Security summit to review and redesign Nigeria’s security framework for better efficiency and speedy intervention in security challenges. The Summit provided an avenue for engagement with critical stakeholders, including heads of military and paramilitary agencies which resulted in a 20-point recommendation forwarded for action to the executive arm of government
In 2018, the Senate, in collaboration with the House of Representatives, passed the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act. This piece of legislation strongly discourages discrimination based on disability and imposes sanctions on those who contradict it. Other issues it handled includes Nigerians in the diaspora, inter-parliamentary collaborations, rebuilding Nigeria’s global profile, and stepping in to launch various economic interventions.
Arguably, through the highs and lows that tested its integrity and autonomy, the 8th Senate remained resolute in its resolve to be the pulse of the Nigerian people; setting a high standard for future legislatures in the manner in which it carried out legislative duties and responsibilities. Love him or hate him, Saraki, as its president, has added colour and sophistication to the 8th Senate, and it will not be farfetched to state that that same vibrancy, as well as that of the principal officers of the 8th Senate, has been responsible for the many vital actions and reforms that have been taken, and achieved.