Lawan blames executive for Buhari’s failure to sign bills

Members of the executive arm of government have been held responsible for the turning down by President Muhammadu Buhari of most bills passed by the parliament.

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan on Tuesday castigated public office holders for lacking adequate knowledge and unable to make useful input to pieces of parliamentary legislations meant for policy formulation.

This is as Lawan slammed the two ministers in the Federal Ministry of Health for failing to appear at a two day public hearing on three health bills before the Senate. Lawan described as disheartening that the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire and the Minister of State, Health, Dr. Olorunmibe Mamora for failing to grace the public hearing or sending their representatives.

The Senate Committee on Health had organised on: “A Bill for an Act to amend the Orthopedic Hospital Management Board Act No. 21 of 1979 and for other related matters to provide for the establishment of the Federal Orthopedic Hospital, Kuta (Niger State), Bill 2021” sponsored by Senator Sani Musa.

“National University of Heath and Medical Sciences Suleja, Niger State, (Establishment), Bill 2021” sponsored by Senator Sani Musa and the “Federal University of Medical Sciences Abeokuta, Ogun State (establishment) Bill 2021,” sponsored by Senator Ibikunle Amosun. Lawan got to know about the absence of the ministers and ministry’s officials while declaring the session open.

Irked by the absence, the Senate President said that the development is responsible for Bills passed by the National Assembly which are sometimes denied assent by President Muhammadu Buhari due to wrong advise from Ministry officials. Lawan said: “I have a written speech for is event but before then where is the Minister of Health or Minister of State Health?

Or is there anyone representing the Ministry of Health? “This is an anomaly and we don’t take it kindly because sometimes the National Assembly would process a Bill and the Bill will be taken to Mr. President for his assent and somebody will just go round and mis-advise that that Bill should not be assented to.

“And this this done mostly by Ministry officials. So it is always in the interest of government and good governance that when there is a public hearing – the ministry, government officials, the technical people – should be around to hear the views of the people.

“And if they have any objection, they should say so in the presence of everyone, so that they listen to arguments.

“Therefore it is sad that neither the Minister, nor the Minister of State, nor anyone from the Federal Ministry of Health is here to attend this particular public hearing and I think it is sad.

And nothing should happen to our Bills.” Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, said “the purpose of the engagement is to articulate the views of stakeholders and the general public on the three bills with a view to coming up with a balanced legislation that would be acceptable to all.”

In a separate development also during the two day public hearing, the Federal Government rejected plans by the Senate to upgrade some medical facilities to tertiary health institutions in Adamawa State.

The Senate is proposing three bills to give legal backing to the upgrade of the health institutions.

The bills sponsored by the Senator representing Adamawa Central, Aisha Dahiru, include, the National Dermatology Hospital, Garkida Adamawa, Establishment Bill 2021, Teaching Hospital for the Modibbo Adama University, Yola and Federal Medical Centres Establishment Bill.

The Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, in his presentation said the sponsors of the bills should have sought and obtained presidential approval before coming up with the proposed legislations.

He argued that there are already 22 teaching hospitals and that others were still coming on stream. He said the 1995 Act states in Section 1 (3) empowers only the President to give approval for its establishment.

He said, “It is also pertinent to note that the name federal tertiary hospitals cannot be created without the approval of the president of the Federal Government of Nigeria. “If the proponents of the bill have the approval of the President, it behoves on them to present the same to the Federal Ministry of Health for further necessary actions.

“Where there is no presidential approval for the establishment of the hospital, the sponsor of the bill will do well to first seek approval with justification.

“After securing approval other due diligent has to be made through the Federal Government and relevant authorities, the teaching hospitals included in the list of federal teaching hospitals.

“What we are saying is that proposing a bill to amend the teaching hospitals Act to include the name of a non existent hospital is like “putting the cart before the horse.

“Existing Federal Medical Centres automatically become teaching hospitals following presidential approval in states that have federal universities without medical schools.

I think this is the most important thing that we need to know. “We have seen quite a number of times where we are been approached to allow the federal medical centres to stand as teaching hospitals pending the time that such hospital will be established for the state universities.

This is the issue here. “The Ministry’s position on the Federal medical centres establishment bill is that it is the Federal Government policy for the establishment of federal medical centres to make provisions for space where there are no Federal teaching hospitals.

“Presently, there are federal medical centres in the country. Some of these federal medical centres are being converted to teaching hospitals in the state.” Mamora noted that there was no representation from the state ministry of health on the board of the the proposed teaching officers.

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He said, “There will be need to capture the statutory committees of the board and their functions such as the finance and general purpose committee.

The Minister also kicked against the establishment of a national hospital for dermatology.

He said, “We observed that most of the federal teaching hospitals and some federal medical centres have that department, called the department of dermatology, it is a specialised department where issues that have to do with the skin can be better managed.

“We believe that as much as it is important to pay attention to the issue of dermatology, we also know that establishing a hospital for dermatology condition will affect patients’ opportunities to be co-managed by other specialities.

“We are saying if we have to establish this hospital, much as it is desirable, we need to consider all that is involved in terms of human resource which is very important.

“We also know that inviting other specialist or engaging them on a visiting basis will not be cost effective and it can delay patient management, it is worth noting that dermatologist work very closely with plastic surgeon in terms of reconstruction and cosmetic surgery.

“The position of the ministry on the bill with all its financial implication is that it will be more appropriate to stamp the existing dermatology units or clinics in the various tertiary hospitals” The Chairman of the Senate panel, Ibrahim Oloriegbe, however, told the Minister that the National Assembly has powers to make laws for the establishment of federal health institutions.