Senate won’t shy away from over-sighting the executive -Lawan

…Says Red chamber in discharging its duty of oversight will not be confrontational

Tunde Opalana, Abuja

The President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, has said that the 9th Senate will not shy away from its legislative role of oversight and will not allow complementary relationship to prevent the parliament from over-sighting the executive.

He promised that the Senate in discharging its statutory duty of oversight will, however, not be confrontational.

Lawan told journalists in his office on Wednesday that effective over-sighting rather than upsetting will put the public officials in the executive arm on their toes and make them responsive to the public for adequate execution of government policies and programmes.

“We would even try to stretch out our oversight process not as we did before but we want to see an oversight that is structured from conception to the presentation of reports by our committees to the plenary of the Senate at all times.

“We want to ensure that whoever is given a responsibility on the side of the executive discharges that responsibility.

“When the president appoints a minister, he is expected to help the President perform those duties assigned to him to ensure that those who are to work with us should do it in such a manner that we are to work together to deliver the services,” he said.

Promising symbiotic relationship of the legislature with the executive arm of government, Lawan said “in the process of governance, we are expected to work with the executive, in a complementary type of relationship that is based on cooperation, collaboration, synergy, and partnership.

“We are not in contention, and we would not be in contention with the executive arm of government as we meant to serve the same people.

“We are meant to ensure that Nigerians get the services that they require and voted us to deliver and that is exactly what we would do.

“We are not going to have unnecessary rancor, or go to the market place with stones. We are going to be absolutely focused, absolutely determined to ensure that Nigerians are taken to the next level of development,” he stated.

The Senate President assured that the 9th Senate is taking off on a bipartisan note as the legislative journey has already been blessed by members across party lines.

He said members are going to take the advantage of the bipartisan aspect of the Senate to work assiduously to work together for the interest of the country.

“We contested on the basis of bringing about a National Assembly that would work for Nigerians.

“We are going to stick with that because Nigerians consciously cast their votes in the shape and manner of the National Assembly that we have today and we have no reason, no excuse not to work together, not to perform.

“Our country needs all hands on deck to deal with the numerous challenges of development. What that means is for us in the National Assembly to remain focused and united to ensure that we perform our mandatory well spelt out functions in the constitution to deliver all those legislative interventions that are required for good governance to ensure that we act and sustain a bipartisan fashion of engagement in the Senate and indeed in the National Assembly.

“It is encouraging and indeed very important to us that our election to the office of the President of the Senate and the Deputy President of the Senate were election that clearly shows that it is going to be a bipartisan Senate and the National Assembly,” he stressed

While appreciating journalists for role played during the race for National Assembly leadership, Lawan solicited more support for lawmakers in the discharge of their duties.