Political Briefs
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BUKOLA Saraki, president of the Senate, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to run an inclusive government that would give every Nigerian a sense of belonging and the opportunity to help solve the monumental challenges facing the nation. Saraki stated this in his speech at the celebration of the first anniversary of the inauguration of the eight Senate on Thursday, June 9.
“There is no other time in our history than now when the business of government needs to be conducted with great inclusiveness. We must find a way to bring the best brains in our country on board wherever they may be found.”
Pointing out to the President that the challenges facing the nation required a bipartisan approach, which might mean going outside the All Progressives Congress, APC, fold to source for resource persons, Saraki said, “Even those who did not vote for us but believe in the change that we all believe are necessary to move our country forward should be given a seat at the table. If we are able to mobilise the best human resources that God has bountifully blessed our country with, I have no doubt that with God on our side, we shall overcome.”
Saraki regretted that the nation’s leadership had failed to adopt policies meant to draw a productive economic roadmap for the nation. “We have failed to take the necessary steps in policies and legislation that would set us on the path to developing the kind of economy that we desire.”
He said the drastic fall in the global price of crude oil made it important for the government to put on its thinking cap with a view to promoting investments in other sectors. “The collapse in oil price has without doubt brought huge shock to our economy on a scale that perhaps, has never been experienced before. This requires us to develop creative strategies that would stimulate business and investments into other sectors,” he said.
The Senate President implored the Niger Delta militants to sheathe their swords as he charged the warring militants to respect the nation’s democratic institutions and channel their grievances through appropriate quarters, noting that the nation could ill afford further damage to the ecosystem of the region. He asked the federal government to adopt dialogue and engagement as a more lasting option towards resolving the violence in the region.
He appealed to leaders in the area to play their part and mediate in the face-off between the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, and the government. Saraki said in view of the recent poor rating of the country by a foreign agency, the Senate had taken measures to review 54 extant laws in order to open up the economy for investment.
“The Ease of Doing Business Report that ranks our country 167 out of 189 countries is not likely to attract business into our economy. This Senate understands this. With the support from our international development partners and the organised private sector, we commissioned an expert report which identified 54 extant laws that must be reviewed and brought in line with international best practices in order to open up our economy for private investments and business,” he said.
He enumerated other activities of the Senate in the last one year, listing the bills passed by the eight Senate. “This legislative intervention yielded about 15 major economic reform bills and seven business environment bills. Some of these bills have since entered the dockets of the Senate and are at various stages of consideration as some also have been passed by the Senate. Chief among those passed include: the Electronic Transaction Bill 2015; Debt Recovery and Insolvency Bill 2015; and the Railway Bill which is being considered through the final lap. All these bills represent a watershed in economic and business legislation in our country.
— Jun 20, 2016 @ 01:00 GMT
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