The 9th Senate passed 162 bills to the president, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret. ), who reportedly signed 104 of them. This is according to Senate President Ahmad Lawan.
According to Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives, the 9th National Assembly performed significantly better than the five that came before it since 1999.
The 9th Assembly’s presiding officers also bemoaned how some Nigerians misunderstood and mischaracterized the 9th National Assembly, calling it a rubber stamp body.
The National Assembly management and National Institute for Democratic and Legislative Studies organized a welcome dinner for senators and members-elect for the tenth National Assembly at the Ladi Kwali Hall of the Hotel Continental in Abuja. Speaking separately, the pair said the performance of the ninth National Assembly, which was driven by good governance, resulted from a cordial working relationship with the executive branch of government.
In particular, the Senate President stated in his speech that as of July 2022, 874 bills had been introduced at the first reading stage, of which 162 had passed to the third reading and 104 had received the concurrence of the House of Representatives and the President.
“From the beginning, the 9th Senate was conscious of the detrimental impact of ongoing conflict with the Executive and the consequent impact on legislative activities,” he said. We both understood that effective and efficient service delivery to the public depends on having a good working relationship.
“As of July 2022, the Senate had received a total of 874 bills, of which 162 had been passed. Interestingly, President Muhammadu Buhari has signed 104 bills from the 9th Senate, which is much higher than the previous assemblies’ totals of 31 for the 4th Assembly, 98 for the 5th Assembly, 52 for the 6th Assembly, 60 for the 7th Assembly, and 74 for the 8th Assembly.
“This method of communicating with the executive has given rise to misunderstandings, which have caused many to label the 9th National Assembly as a “rubber stamp” body. However, our goal in favoring a harmonious and collaborative relationship with the executive was to better serve Nigeria by creating a secure environment for national development.
“There is no question that this has worked out well for the clients we serve. The 9th National Assembly has made more laws than its predecessors, which can be attributed to the smooth working relationship between the executive and legislative branches of government.
According to Lawan’s well-articulated legislative agenda, the 9th Senate gave security, corruption, youth employment, poverty alleviation, education, access to health care, gender equality, economic growth and diversification, and oil and gas production top priority.
He claimed that in order to address the numerous issues facing Nigeria, they focused on various timely legislative interventions.
The 9th National Assembly overcame conventional challenges by forging political consensus and deft political brinksmanship, breaking numerous “jinxes” and accomplishing numerous “firsts.”
Lawan pointed out that the 9th Senate had concentrated its efforts on legislation that would improve the lives of Nigerians.
