President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, on Wednesday said the 9th National Assembly would adopt a new approach to oversight functions.
Lawan, who said this while addressing reporters in his office, did not explain the aspect of oversight functions that the 9th Senate under him would avoid.
The Chief Whip of the 8th National Assembly, Senator Olusola Adeyeye, had revealed in his valedictory speech that lawmakers received money while carrying out oversight functions, a practice he described as “abnormal.”
He had said, “The rule forbids us to extort money (from officials) during oversight functions, but that was never so each time senators went on oversight activities.”
Adeyeye had added, “I hope this must not repeat in the 9th Senate.”
But Lawan promised that the 9th Senate will change things.
He said, “We will even try to stretch out our oversight process not as we did it before, but we want to see an oversight that is structured from conception to the presentation of reports by our committees.
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“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 the duties assigned to him to ensure that those who are to work with us perform their duties in such a manner that we work together to deliver.
“We are not going to have unnecessary rancour 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.”
Lawan urged journalists to also carry out their functions effectively while reporting the activities of the National Assembly.
He said, “We need to ensure that we act and sustain a bipartisan fashion of engagement in the Senate and indeed in the National Assembly.
“This is a journey that has already been blessed by members of the National Assembly across party lines.
“We are going to take the advantage of the bipartisan aspect of the Senate to work assiduously to work together for the country.
“By the grace of God and with your (journalists) support; we have ascended the office and it is time for us to bring everybody together to deliver together.” [PUNCH]
