How Did the 10th Senate Fare in the Fourth Quarter?

Mon-Charles Egbo in this piece examines how the Red Chamber fared during the Fourth Quarter of the 10th National Assembly chaired by Senator GodswillAkpabio.

Nigeria’s challenges are enormous and grow by the day in the same manner that the vulnerable are alarmingly impoverished.

Also, the 10th Senate has its shortcomings yet unwavering in its resolve to remain people-oriented.

But as has been the case, the overall impacts depend on what the executive branch does with the legislative outputs.

For example, insecurity is one of the perennial threats that diminish all efforts at restoring public confidence in governance. But despite its growing complexities, the Senate is not relenting. Added to a series of interventions since inception, it recently presented the presidency with an advisory for a comprehensive approach to addressing this scourge.

In this quarter, it deepened those efforts with a special panel for “a holistic solution to the problem of farmers and herders clashes and killings all over the country including convening a national summit involving academic, research institutions and all stakeholders, farmers, herders, community leaders, traditional rulers”.

Also the Senate reviewed the persistent “banditry attacks in Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kaduna and Kebbi states”, the gruesome murder of “innocent indigenes of Nimbo, Adani and other communities in Uzo-Uwani LGA, Enugu State” as well as the incessant killings and destruction of properties sequel to boundary disputes among the states.

It thus recommended “a thorough review and evaluation of the strategies employed by security agencies” particularly in the area of intelligence gathering towards making the farmlands safe and secure for “increased food production and food security” and also “police and military presence in Uzo-Uwani LGA”.

Others were urgent intervention on the “AgojeguOdo, AjokpachiOdo, Bagaji, and Bagana Communities in Omala Local Government Area of Kogi State, affected by gunmen attacks and killings” and then, “a six-month time frame within which all boundary disputes relating to Odukpani LGA of Cross River State and Ukwa Community of Abia State should be addressed through proper and sustainable demarcation of all areas under dispute” in addition to establishment of “mobile police barracks/station within the area for easy deployment to troubled spots”.

Again, the Senate called for the immediate conversion of “the deserted and uncultivable waste land of the abandoned Shell Airstrip at Oloibiri Oil Well, Otuogidi in Ogbia LGA of Bayelsa State” into an air force base.

The aim is to combat oil theft and pipeline vandalism and also create more business and job opportunities in the area.

Also, on the “Landslide that buried alive over 30 Informal Miners in a Gold Mining Site in FarinDoki Community, Shiroro Local Government, Niger State” the Senate quickly commenced actions towards the passage of the Mine Ranger Bill, and then as a short-term response, it called for “strict safety measure and regulation on mining activities in Nigeria” and also for deployment of “adequate security apparatus to the mining communities” to ward off illegal mining activities.

Similarly, it sets up three ad-hoc committees to respectively investigate the reported 11,886 abandoned projects in the different parts of the country, why the Centenary City Abuja project has not yet been completed ten years after the contract was awarded and then to ascertain the cause(s) of the massive explosions near the Gbarain-Ubie Gas Processing Facility in Yenegoa LGA of Bayelsa State which led to environmental pollution of a large magnitude. Also, while urging for the immediate commencement of integrity tests on pipelines and installations by the oil and gas operators, the Senate demanded the federal government’s urgent interventions on the windstorm victims of Awe, Keana and Dumi local government areas of Nasarawa-South senatorial district.

Equally, on the electricity transmission lines vandalized in the North-East region of Nigeria, the Senate called on the federal government to expedite actions on the Jos-Gombe, Gombe-Maiduguri, Damatru-Maiduguri and Markurdi-Jalingo 330KV transformers towards restoring power supply by connecting the North-East with the South-East transmission lines. Then broadly, it called for the immediate implementation of “the recommendations outlined in Sections 209, 210, 211, 212 and 213 of the Electricity Act, 2023 to enhance the security of transmission infrastructure” in addition to providing “for intervention fund for the maintenance of old transmission lines for effective evacuation of power to the needed areas of the country”.

Again, the Senate interfaced with the Federal Ministry of Works on the urgent need to complete the Wudil-Gaya-Dutse Dual Carriage Road on Kano Maiduguri Road including the Beniheik/Maiduguri section.

Still on its determination to “resuscitate local government system in Nigeria” the Senate mandated the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to initiate the necessary constitutional actions to restore the independence of the local government. This, commendably, was complied with and the Supreme Court has since ruled in favour of financial autonomy for the local councils.

On the economy, the Senate extended the implementation of the 2023 statutory and supplementary budgets to December 31, 2024. Also, it approved the 2024 budgets of the Nigerian Communications Commission, the Universal Service Provision Fund, the Niger-Delta Development Commission and the Federal Capital Territory 2024 supplementary budget as well as the “2022-2024 External Borrowing (Rolling) Plan for the Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE” for the Nigeria Distribution Sector Recovery Program.

Then towards facilitating governance, the Senate confirmed the nominations for the appointment of Rimini HarayaMakama and Sunday Abraham Oshadami as executive commissioners in the Nigerian Communications Commission, Emomotimi John Agama as the director-general and Samiya Hassan Usman, AbimbolaOyebolaAjomale, Frana I Chukwuogor as executive commissioners of the Security and Exchange Commission as well as Hon. KayodeOladele as member, Federal Character Commission.

Among the petitions received from victims of injustice across the country, the Senate reviewed and established the merit of a petition from one AbubakarAbdullahiDutsinma against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, alleging denial of promotion, persecution and unfair treatment. It thus recommended that the Commission should promote the petitioner to the rank of Assistant Director (Level 15) and then pay him all his salaries and allowances, with effect from January 2024.

On legislation, the Senate, during the period, passed the North-West Development Commission, the Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances and Fringe Benefits), the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration, the National Anthem of Nigeria and the National Anti-Doping bills.

Those that passed through the second reading included the establishment bills for the National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission to regulate, manage, preserve and control ranches throughout Nigeria, and the Nigeria Gold Reserve to make provisions for the Nigeria Gold Reserve industry framework. Others were the Health Infrastructure Development Agency, Documentation and Protection of Domestic Workers and Employees, National Internship and Unemployment Benefit Scheme, Federal University of Agriculture and Entrepreneurship, Borno, Borno State, Federal College of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Nasarawa State, Projects Development Agency, PRODA, Enugu, Federal University of Applied Sciences Manchok Kaduna State, Federal Polytechnic Onueke, Ebonyi State and the National Eye Centre GomaNasarawa establishment bills.

Furthermore, there were second readings on the amendments to the Compulsory, Free, Universal Basic Education, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Revenue Mobilization and Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Fire Service, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and the Federal Orthopedic Hospital Toro, Bauchi State, Acts in addition to several amendments to the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria Act.

Those that were introduced for the first reading were the Nigerian Hunters and Security Service, Nigerian Peace Corps, National Talent Rehabilitation and Integration Agency, Agricultural Harvest and Processing Zone, Factoring Regulation, Victims of Banditry and Kidnapping Trust Fund, Renewable Energy, Sickle Cell Anaemia (Prevention, Control and Management), Unemployed Youth, Elderly and Indigent Sustainability Allowances Trust Fund, Private Investigators Regulation, Occupational Safety and Health, Building Structures on Waterways (Prohibition), Broadcasting Practitioners and the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment bills.

Others were the Public Health Council of Nigeria, Chartered Association of Out-of-Home Media Practitioners of Nigeria, Nigerian Mineral Development Corporation, National Food Bank, Fruit Juice Processing Zone, Benue State, Nigerian Council for Psychologists, Chartered Institute of Cooperative Professionals of Nigeria, Federal Produce Inspection Service and the African Union Development Commission: New Partnership for Africa’s Development.

There were also six constitution alteration bills in addition to amendments to the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, Legislative Houses (Powers and Priviledges), Public Procurement, Border Communities Development Agency, Federal Polytechnics, National Directorate of Employment, Maritime Operations Co-ordinating Board, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Standards Organization of Nigeria, Pension Reform, National Hospital, Sheriffs and Civil Process and the Electoral Acts as well as the repeal and re-enactment of the National Identity Management Commission.

-Egbo, a parliamentary affairs analyst, writes from Abuja.