By Chigozie Effe
As the nation keeps a date with history on May 29, 2015with the incumbent, President Goodluck Jonathan, handing over the reins of power to an opposition figure , the life span of the 7th National Assembly will also be approaching an end, heralding the birth of the 8th Assembly.
For most observers, the 8th Assembly would be a colourful and a robust one, judging by the outcome of the just concluded elections where Nigerians for the first time voted for their conscience, not sectional interests.
Only recently, the President of the Senate, David Mark lamented the high turnover of lawmakers in the National Assembly, a development he said would slow down speedy legislation in the incoming 8th Assembly billed for inauguration in June 2015.
This is even as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, recently charged the incoming 8th Assembly to prioritize the welfare of all Nigerians through the legislations it will make in the discharge of its responsibilities as a parliament.
Speaking at the beginning of a five -day induction course for newly elected members of the National Assembly organized by the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS), Mark regretted that the return of only a few lawmakers would impact negatively on the legislature.
More than 70 senators and 250 members of the House of Representatives failed in their attempts to retain their seats.
This, according to the Senate President, was not good for Nigeria’s democracy, saying, “obviously when people are new to a system, it takes time for them to adjust and learn the procedures.
“It is going to take time for them to even find their way round the National Assembly building itself. So, it will be a very slow start obviously. If the members returning are more, things will start a lot quicker.’’
Tambuwal, on his part, urged the new legislators to strive to exceed the performance of the 7th assembly which passed 108 of the over 481 Bills that were introduced on the floor of the House of Representatives since inauguration in June 2011.
The Speaker, who won the Sokoto guber election on the platform of APC, also revealed that the House of Representatives introduced a total number of 825 motions out of which 554 were referred to committees while another 162 were passed as resolutions.
He said there was a huge expectation on the 8th assembly to exceed the achievements of its predecessor and charged the lawmakers to aggressively pursue the principles of good governance and work diligently to promote growth and development.
Doubtless, the 7th Assembly will go down in history for the anti gay bill that was passed into law. That feat received applause from Nigerians as well as other African countries. Despite the financial inducements by the western powers, Nigeria stood its ground on the anti gay law.
Be that as it may, it becomes imperative to expect more from the incoming 8th Assembly.
Nigerians are in dire need of change, a change that will better their lives, a change that will bring hope to their children, a change that will bring hope to their future, a change that will banish poverty from the land, a change that will revolutionize the health sector, a change that will bring hope to the army of unemployed youths, the list seems endless.
For example, the issue of housing especially in Abuja and other major cities in the country is benumbing. Low income earners find it very difficult to cope with the huge amount placed on rent by their landlords. Some of them come from neigbouring states where houses are moderate.
The issue of transportation, Petroleum Industrial Bill as well as the fuel subsidy brouhaha must be taken into cognizance. With the recent fuel scarcity in the country, it has become glaring that some members of the National Assembly are protecting the interest of the cabal in the oil industry.
Nigerians expect the 8th Assembly to do the needful in addressing these burning issues once and for all. Members of the the incoming Assembly must be able to put up their thinking cap to see how the economy can be diversified so as to generate revenue for the country. They don’t have any excuse not to deliver on their campaign promises.
A legal practitioner, Benjamin Ogbaini, had noted: “As a Nigerian, I expect that the 8thNational Assembly should continue from where the 7th would stop.
“You see the mistake we keep making in this country is that every new administration sees itself as a different and distinct entity from its predecessor. Now we always forget that governance is about continuity. Governance is about sustainability.
“So I expect the incoming NASS will see itself as a continuation of the previous administration. I equally expect the 8th National Assembly to right the wrongs that have been perpetrated by the outgoing National Assembly.
“For instance, there are several issues, take it from the level of the state, there are administrations presently that have been able to present executive bills in their state legislatures to arrange for themselves a severance and pension for life. I know of Akwa Ibom, even though the Governor has come out to deny the claims”.
“I expect that the incoming NASS Assembly should be able to reverse such acts. They are anti people. So, taking it to the National Assembly, every act that is anti people should be reversed.’’
In demonstration of good faith, he said both arms of the National Assembly should slash their allowances and bogus bonuses while ensuring synergy between the Judiciary, Legislature and Executive.
