LABOUR DESCRIBES PASSAGE OF 46 BILLS IN 10 MINUTES AS RECKLES

NLC president, Ayuba Wabba
Damilola Oyedele in Abuja

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) monday said the recent passage of 46 bills into law by members of the just expired seventh National Assembly was a reckless way to legislate.

NLC in a statement that was signed by its president, Ayuba Wabba, in Abuja expressed utmost disappointment with the development, saying that the legislators were perhaps competing for a Guinness world record in legislative processes.

It also condemned repetition of same process by members of the House of Representatives in passing 14 bills that were transmitted to them by the Senate.

NLC opined that the seventh assembly by such inglorious acts has succeeded in denting whatever achievements it may have recorded in its legislative years, adding that they ridiculed themselves and embarrassed Nigeria at the same time.

“NLC wishes to express its profound shock and disappointment at the action of the National Assembly in the dying hours in the lifespan of the seventh National Assembly.

The Senate, apparently competing for the Guinness book of records for legislative infamy, passed 46 bills “without legislation” in 10 minutes, while the House of Representatives took turn the next day to pass 14 bills transmitted to it by the Senate, without following the regular legislative procedures,” Wabba noted in the statement.

He further said: “Whoever advised our lawmakers to take this reckless path to lawmaking has only succeeded in putting an indelible dent on whatever achievements that the seventh session of the National Assembly wished to be ascribed to it.

By this singular action, our distinguished and honourable lawmakers have not only displayed gross disdain for the philosophy of lawmaking in a democratic setting, they have even more so exposed their manifest lack interest in and commitment to the wellbeing of the country.”

“They have by so doing, apart from ridiculing themselves, also unfortunately embarrassed the country in the eyes of the civilised global community.
By skipping the first, second and third reading process, as well as the public hearing on these bills, our lawmakers have denied Nigerians the basic opportunity to interrogate the desirability or otherwise of these bills,” added Wabba.

He thus asked President Muhammadu Buhari not to assent the bills into law, adding that the president should return them to be subjected to proper legislative processes by the 8th assembly.

“In the light of the cavalier manner in which these bills were passed, the congress wishes to, with all sense of responsibility, call on Mr. President not to sign them into law.

He should instead return them to the incoming 8th National Assembly to be subjected to proper legislative procedures,” he explained.
NLC also tasked the incoming assembly to subject itself to extant rule of law as currently being preached in the country.

“In line with the current popular mood of the country for change, the NLC expects the incoming legislature to depart from the opaque ways of the previous sessions of the National Assembly.

Congress, and indeed Nigerians, expect the incoming legislators to be prudent, accountable, transparent and more effective in their legislative and oversight functions.

In this respect, it will be in the public interest if the huge resources committed to members welfare and other pecks of office, are reviewed drastically downward in line with our current economic realities and re-directed to more demanding areas of the economy in the overall interest of all,” said Wabba.