In a statement signed by his special adviser on media and publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu
on Tuesday, September 12, 2017, Saraki noted that the role of the
legislature in a young democracy like Nigeria is often misconstrued.
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Saraki's spokesman, Yusuph Olaniyonu(Nation)
The Senate President maintained that his goal remains to leave the 8th Senate in a better position than he met it.
He
emphasized the need to make the National Assembly work towards
positively influencing the lives of all Nigerians through its powers of
lawmaking, oversight and advocacy.
“The President of the Senate is just first amongst equals,” Saraki said.
“However,
what always motivates me is that drive to leave this institution better
than we met it. I always like to leave a place stronger than I met it,
and more capable to deliver on its constitutional role and functions
than how it was before I got there.
“The
difference between democracy and dictatorship is parliament. This is
why I tell people that it is not about who the Senate President, the
President, or the Chief Justice of Nigeria is, we must always work to
strengthen all our institutions.
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Senator Bukola Saraki(NAN)
“For
example, in four years, I’m gone. Somebody else will be there, but the
institution will always remain. If you have weak parliament that is not
effectively able to champion the needs of the people, you will have a
weak democracy. However, because of myopic interest at times, some
people do not see why we must protect the mandates and integrity of
these institutions.
“When we
decided to have a presidential system of governance, it was based on the
fact that there must be checks and balances. When these safeguards are
in place, it strengthens our democracy and promotes the sort of
collaboration across the board that helps us meet the needs of
Nigerians,” the President of the Senate said.
Saraki also emphasized that the 8th Senate will continue to remain committed to people-centered governance.
“Moving
forward, we will continue to target laws and interventions that will
have direct benefits to all Nigerians. We have started this with our
economic priority bills, and we can see the impact with the up-tick in
banks now lending to more MSMEs. However, we will not stop here.
“With
the slight improvement in our economy, it now behooves on all of us,
the executive and the legislature, to work towards ensuring that these
improvements translate directly to the pockets of Nigerians and the
rising cost of living across the country. We have a lot of work ahead of
us,” he said.
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