Standup9ja: Goje, Omogunwa, Bukar have no bills in 2 years
Former Governors Ahmed Sani Yarima (APC, Zamfara), George
Akume (APC, Benue), Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe), Jonah Jang (PDP, Plateau) and
Bukar Abba Ibrahim (APC, Yobe) are among the senators without a single bill to
their names in the last two years.
Other senators in
this league are former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Bayero
Nafada (APC, Gombe), Muhammed Sabo (APC, Jigawa), Mustapha Sani (APC, Niger),
Yele Omogunwa (APC, Ondo), Jeremiah Useni (PDP, Plateau) and Ibrahim Abdullahi
(APC, Sokoto).
Official record from
June 2015 to July 2016 showed that 16 out of the 108 Senators (Anambra vacant)
are yet to have a bill to their names, less than 23 months to the expiration of
their tenure.
The list of senators
who didn't sponsor a single bill dropped from 28 in June, 2016 to 16 this year
as the likes of Senate President Bukola Saraki (APC, Kwara), his predecessor David
Mark (PDP, Benue), and the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu (PDP, Enugu)
have now presented one each.
Saraki's bill on the establishment of the Nigerian Academy
of Science was passed on July 5, 2017, while Mark's on the establishment of the
Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo had scaled through first reading
on June 13, this year.
The Senate is so far considering 552 draft laws since the
inauguration of the 8th Assembly on June 9, 2015.
The three senators from Rivers State who were sworn-in
December 15, 2016, namely George Sekibo (PDP), Magnus Abe (APC) and
Osinakachukwu Ideozu (PDP) had zero bills.
Others in this group are Shuaibu Lau (PDP, Taraba North) and
Senator Ademola Adeleke (PDP, Osun) who were sworn in July, this year, days
before the federal lawmakers embarked on their annual recess.
The review showed that only 33 of the senators had some of
their bills passed with Ali Ndume (APC, Borno) topping the list with 47 bills,
according to official documents analysed by Standup9ja.
Aside from having the highest number of bills passed, Ndume
who was the Senate Leader until January this year topped the chart of bills
sponsorship with 64 bills. Ndume is serving a 6-month suspension slammed on him
by the upper chamber.
In terms of sponsorship of bills, next to Ndume was the
Deputy Leader, Bala Ibn Na'Allah (APC, Kebbi) who had 19 bills, followed by
Adeola Olamilekan (APC, Lagos) 16 and Andy Uba (APC, Anambra) with 15 bills.
Stella Odua (PDP, Anambra), Dino Melaye (APC, Kogi), and
Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan (APC, Yobe) have 14 bills each.
Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano) and Biodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti) had
13 bills each, followed by Babajide Omoworare (APC, Osun) who sponsored 12
bills.
Former Anambra State Governor Theodore Orji (PDP, Abia), Mao
Ohuabunwa (PDP, Abia), and Obinna Ogba (PDP, Ebonyi) sponsored 11 bills each.
While Isah Misau (APC, Bauchi) and Philip Aduda (PDP, FCT)
have 10 bills each, the trio of Ben Murray-Bruce (PDP, Bayelsa), Umaru Kurfi
(APC, Katsina) and David Umaru (APC, Niger) sponsored nine bills each.
Ekweremadu who had no bill last year has eight bills now,
while Ibrahim Gobir (APC, Sokoto) also has eight bills.
Senators Samuel Egwu (PDP, Ebony), Shehu Sani (APC, Kaduna),
Abdullahi Adamu (APC, Nasarawa), Olarenwaju Tejuosho (APC, Ogun), Buhari
Abdulfatai (APC, Oyo) and Adesoji Akanbi (APC, Oyo) sponsored seven bills each.
Others with seven bills are Barnabas Gemade (APC, Benue),
Rose Oko (PDP, Cross River), Francis Alimikhena (APC, Edo), Matthew Urhoghide
(PDP, Edo), Chukuwuka Utazi (PDP, Enugu), Hope Uzodinma (PDP, Imo), Kabiru Gaya
(APC, Kano), Olugbenga Ashafa (APC, Lagos) and Tijjani Yahaya Kaura (APC,
Zamfara).
Those with five bills each are: Aliyu Wamakko (APC, Sokoto),
John Enoh (PDP, Cross River), Peter Nwaboshi (PDP, Delta), Gilbert Nnaji (PDP,
Enugu), Samuel Anyanwu (PDP, Imo), Buruji Kashamu (APC, Ogun), Robert Boroffice
(APC, Ondo), Rafiu Ibrahim (APC, Kwara) and Joshua Dariye(APC, Plateau).
The senators with four bills are Nelson Effiong (APC, Akwa
Ibom), Suleiman Nazif (APC, Bauchi), Ovie Omo-Agege (APC, Delta), Duro Faseyi
(PDP, Ekiti), Joshua Lidani (PDP, Gombe), Bukar Mustapha (APC, Katsina), Shaaba
Lafiagi (APC, Kwara) and Oluremi Tinubu (APC, Lagos).
Senators Ali Wakili (APC, Bauchi), Baba Kaka Bashir Garbai
(APC, Borno), Bassey Albert Akpan (PDP, Akwa Ibom), Clifford Ordia (PDP, Edo),
Muhammad Shitu (APC, Jigawa), Abu Ibrahim (APC, Katsina), Adamu Aliero (APC,
Kebbi), Ali Sabi Abdullahi (APC, Niger), Gbolahan Dada (APC, Ogun), Tayo
Alasoadura (APC, Ondo), Monsurat Sunmonu (APC, Oyo) and Muhammed Hassan (PDP,
Yobe) had sponsored three bills each.
Lawmakers with two bills are: Abdul Aziz Nyako (APC,
Adamawa), Ahmad Abubakar (APC, Adamawa), Godswill Akpabio (PDP, Akwa Ibom),
Foster Ogola (PDP, Bayelsa), James Manager (PDP, Delta), Fatima Raji-Razaki
(PDP, Ekiti), Abubakar Gumel (APC, Jigawa), Danjuma La'ah (PDP, Kaduna), Rabiu
Musa Kwankwaso (APC, Kano), Ahmed Ogembe (PDP, Kogi), Olusola Adeyeye (APC, Osun),
Emmanuel Bwacha (PDP, Taraba) and Kabir Marafa (APC, Zamfara).
The review showed that Saraki, Mark, Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP,
Abia), Binta Masi Garba (APC, Adamawa), Paulker Emmanuel (PDP, Bayelsa),
Abubakar Kyari (APC, Borno), Gershom Bassey (PDP, Cross River), Sonni Ogbuoji
(PDP, Ebonyi), Benjamin Uwajumogu (APC, Imo), Suleiman Hunkuyi (APC, Kaduna),
Yahaya Abdullahi (APC, Kebbi), Atai Aidoko Usman (PDP, Kogi), Philip Gyunka
(PDP, Nasarawa), Suleiman Adokwe (PDP, Nasarawa), and Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf (APC,
Taraba) sponsored one bill each.
Bills not qualitative -Civil society
The Executive Director, Friends in the Gap Advocacy
Initiative (FGAI), Chief George Oji said, unlike in the present assembly, bills
and motions were thorough, painstakingly researched, debated and presented in
most robust manner.
He noted that the 8th National Assembly has “a very
intimidating credential” so far “with a total of 96 bills and 72 motions to the
credit of the senate and 126 bills in the House of Representatives during the
first half of their four-year tenure.”
"However, when compared with the content and quality of
the bills and motions passed by the present 8th session viz-a-viz the ones
undertaken by the previous sessions, the advantage of number easily disappears
into insignificance,” he said.
“This is, of course, a reflection of the calibre and quality
of the elected representatives in the National Assembly then. It is doubtful if
the same can be said of the present lawmakers,” he said.
He said in the current parliament, the role of the
opposition lawmakers appears not to be very well defined but rather fused with
the majority ruling party.
Why Ndume got highest bills - Garbai
Speaking, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and
Business, Garbai said Ndume had the highest bills because he was the Senate
leader for about two years.
“All the bills that are coming to the Senate from the House
for concurrence come in the name of the leader. Also, all the bills from the
executive are in his name. This is because of the position he occupied,"
he said.
On the Senate president, Garbai said, “Our rules allow the
presiding officers to sponsor bills but since 1999, no Senate president has
done so. It's in the House that Ghali Umar Na'Abba sponsored bills and now Speaker
Yakubu Dogara has done so with his bill on the North East Development
Commission."
Explaining the procedures for sponsorship of bills, he said,
"the sponsor writes to the Senate President, then we write to the National
Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS), they will analyze it and make an
input. After this, they will send it back to us; we will then send it for
gazetting.
“After it is gazetted, we will list it for first reading,
then the sponsor would be asked to submit his lead debate, then the bill would
be listed for second reading. If it scales through, it would be referred to
relevant committee. The committee will organize a public hearing for
stakeholders to make an input.
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