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The Nigeria Tribune reports President Yar'Adua as declaring, ‘National Assembly has performed woefully’; is it a case of the pot calling kettle black? Compare with Obasanjo’s performance below; would you wish Obasanjo back?
Tribune: Nigeria President Umaru Yar’Adua has scored the performance of the National Assembly at below average since he assumed office in 2007. Details of the performance rating, which are contained in a bill sent to the National Assembly by the President, indicated that only one bill, the 2009 Appropriation Bill, had been passed by the lawmakers five months into 2009.
The breakdown contained in the bill also showed that they passed only four laws in the 2008 legislative session. The Presidency stated that only four bills were presented to it during the period.
The bill also indicated that no private member bill was presented to the President in 2008 for assent. The bill was read as part of the seven electoral reform bills by the President of the Senate last Tuesday.
The National Assembly amended the law on salaries and allowances of retired public office holders and passed three other laws in 2008. Some of the bills passed by the lawmakers as contained in the bill by Yar’Adua include.
Certain Political and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc) (Amendment) Act, 2008; Appropriation Act, 2007; Niger Delta Appropriation Act, 2008; Appropriation (Amendment) Act, 2008.
The Presidency appears to be indicting the lawmakers that less than a month to the second anniversary of the administration, the lawmakers have passed only a few bills:
The presidency submitted that the lawmakers in 1999 passed only two laws, which were the supplementary budget bills of that year. The National Assembly passed eight laws in 2000, while it passed four in 2001.
In 2002, the lawmakers passed 11, while the presidency assented to 29 bills in 2003. Twenty one bills were assented to in 2004, and another 21 in 2005, while the lawmakers passed 14 in 2006.
per Bolaji Aluko: Summary:
YEAR....Bills Passed .........President
1999...........2......................Obasanjo (from May 29, 1999)
2000...........8......................Obasanjo
2001...........4......................Obasanjo
2002..........11.....................Obasanjo
2003..........29.....................Obasanjo
2004..........21.....................Obasanjo
2005..........21.....................Obasanjo
2006..........14.....................Obasanjo
2007............0?...................Obasanjo/Yar'Adua(from May 29, 2007)
2008............4 ....................Yar'Adua
2009............1 ....................Yar'Adua
10 years....115
Legislative Heads:
Years 1999-2003: Senate Presidents - Evan Enwerem; Chuba Okadigbo; Pius Anyim; House Speakers: Salisu Buhari, Ghali Na'Abba
Years 2003-2007: Senate Presidents - Adolphus Nwabara, Ken Nnamani House Speaker - Aminu Masari
Years 2007- date: Senate President - David Mark, House Speakers - Mercy Etteh, Dimeji Bankole
Clearly the most productive years were of the more vibrant president (Obasanjo) , and more mature and stable legislative heads (Anyim, Na'Abba, Nnamani, Masari).
Terrible - 5 bills in 2 years since May 2007?
Bolaji Aluko
Shaking his head
I ask then: Would you wish Obasanjo back?
It is sad that sometimes I find myself wishing Obasanjo back!
