THE Saraki Support Group has said the eighth Senate under Dr Bukola Saraki passed the most bills since 1999 to give direction to the economy and strengthen the country’s ability to tackle corruption.
This was in reaction to a statement issued by the Buhari Media Organisation alleging that Saraki’s tenure as the 13th President of the Senate was a disaster.
The Director, SSG, Earl Onaiwu, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, describing the allegation as an ignorant assessment.
He said, “The attention of the Saraki Support Group has been drawn to a statement signed by the duo of Niyi Akinsiju and Cassidy Maduekwe on behalf of the Buhari Media Organisation where they alleged that the tenure of Dr Bukola Saraki as the 13th President of the Nigerian Senate was a disaster.
“We believe such a statement could only be signed by failed professionals and bootlickers, who could not appreciate the work of the legislature in a democracy. Otherwise, Akinsiju and Maduekwe would not have made such an ignorant assessment of the eighth Senate under Saraki, which has been adjudged as the best Senate since the return of democracy in Nigeria in 1999.
When we read their statement, the question that came to our mind is whether these people live in Nigeria or they reside in Siberia, where they have no access to news about governance in Nigeria.
“The facts are there that the eighth Senate passed the most bills since 1999 and they are not just ordinary bills. The bills passed by the eighth Senate are bills that helped to give direction to the economy, strengthen the nation’s ability to tackle corruption, positively affect the lives of the people, and seek to make Nigerians secure.”
Onaiwu also explained that some of the innovations introduced under Saraki’s tenure continued as a tradition in the Senate.
He added, “The 319 bills passed by the eighth Senate are more than all the bills passed by the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh Senate combined. The same thing is with the 192 petitions successfully attended to by the eighth Senate. Up till today, some of the innovations introduced by the eighth Senate continue as a tradition in the Senate.
“In fact, laws like the Petroleum Industry Bill, CAMA, Police Reforms Act and the recently passed Electoral Act signed into law after passage by the current National Assembly were not different from the versions passed by the eighth Senate, which were rejected for political reasons by the executive.
“The facts on the ground do not support the false claims made by the cheap propagandists in the BMO, whose relevance is decided by their genuflecting before government officials. If these ideologies are spreading falsehood, discerning Nigerians know the facts and they can decipher the difference. The eighth Senate led by Dr Bukola Saraki did well for Nigeria. It represented the independence of the judiciary and co-operated with the executive where necessary.”
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