Senate President Ahmad Lawan says about 70 percent of senators and members of the House of Representatives were voted out of their constituencies during the last general election.
Lawan said this Thursday during the go-live of the permanent site of the National Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) in Abuja.
The institute was commissioned by President Muhammdu Buhari as part of the bequest of the 9th National Assembly.
Lawan, in his remarks at the ceremony, lamented the large number of current federal lawmakers who lost their re-election bids.
He said that one of the methods that will be used to control the negative effects of the high turnover rate is for the leadership of the National Assembly to organize capacity building programs for legislators in the 10th assembly.
“Also, for us in the 10th National Assembly, having suffered serious and massive casualties from not having or losing about 70 percent of our senators and house members, means we have to work hard on capacity building for the rest. of us. who will be new in the National Assembly”.
He urged the public and elected legislators to register with the National Institute of Legislative Studies so that they have legislative knowledge.
“I am going to take the opportunity that I have here today to urge you, sir, that this is not just for the needs of the members of the National Assembly; no, it is for all Nigerians and they will be pleased to see people from the executive arm of the government come to take some lessons at NILDS because that will help to understand what the National Assembly or parliament does,” he said.
“So this is an appropriate time to get the NILDS permanent site up and running, and then NILDS will have to start working because there will be many who will need the capacity building that NILDS will offer.”
Mr. Lawan thanked President Buhari for supporting the 9th National Assembly to achieve its goals.
“Lastly, Mr. President, I cannot leave this place without emphasizing what we have been able to achieve with us in the IX National Assembly. You have a part here, probably around 49 percent. Fifty-one percent from the National Assembly and 49 percent, the executive arm of the government,” he noted.
“What we have done here is because you wanted us to, but also, sir, whatever results we have been able to achieve, and we have achieved a lot, it was because this IX National Assembly has always been there to give you the kind of support we need to achieve what we have achieved and we have achieved it so well.”
parliament friendly
The president of the senate described Mr. Buhari as the “most parliament-friendly president” since the start of the fourth republic.
“A few days, maybe a week ago, I started a case that you were the friendliest president or, let me say, the friendliest president to parliament since the beginning of the fourth republic. I’m not saying other presidents aren’t friendly, they were, but to varying degrees, his is a total commitment to the legislature.”
He said that President Buhari, during his eight years, did not interfere in the affairs of the National Assembly.
“You have never interfered in what we do. You haven’t even asked us to do this; one always believes that the national assembly knows, especially this 9 national assembly knows its challenges and can act”, he said.
“But one thing that you’ve done that a lot of past presidents haven’t is for you to use four years, 2019 to date, sign into over 100 bills that we’ve passed, and most of them aren’t common bills, very strategic, critical and crucial bills that will change the lives of citizens, the economy, the oil and gas sector and many others”.
