With the inauguration of the various standing committees of the Eighth Senate last week, the upper chamber is about to commence its full legislative oversight functions. The selection committee of the senate has tried to ensure that members are assigned to suitable committees.

The appointment of the committees presented the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, and opportunity to yet again display his characteristic fair-mindedness. This was one of the rare occasions since the Fourth Republic that the exercise went almost rancour-free.

The senators are full of praises for Saraki’s sagacity and maturity in the constitution of the committees. Even those who had disagreed with him in the past saluted his leadership qualities.

In the past, senate presidents used the composition of the committees to settle political scores. But this is not in the character of Saraki. He believes that for the administration to make a head way square pegs must be put in square holes. He has come to show that the era of politicking is over, as the committees are the livewire of the senate oversight duties on the executive arm of government.

The senate president said while inaugurating the committees, “The committee system is at the heart of our legislative processes and activities. It remains the veritable tool that a democratic legislature must rely on for some of its most important assignments, including considering, shaping, and passing bills. The effectiveness of our ability to carry out our oversight functions and expose corruption squarely rests on the effectiveness of our committee system.”

He told the senators, “It is in this context that you must, therefore, measure the importance and level of responsibility attached to your membership of these committees. I do not, therefore, need to remind you to take your assignments very seriously.”

Saraki said in selecting senators into committees their background, experience, knowledge, passion and the highest standard of legislative competence that will help the eighth senate achieve its legislative agenda were the compelling considerations.

The senate president also told the lawmakers, “You have been chosen also because we have a great task ahead, to think outside of the box. I expect that you will work to affirm this choice by discharging your duties diligently. In this regard, regular attendance to meetings cannot be overstressed…

“The leadership of all senate committees must take care to run an inclusive structure and avoid creating an impression that the affair of the committee is a one-man show.

This senate will not tolerate such because it is against the spirit and commitment embodied in our legislative agenda which we have freely given to ourselves. Again, the eighth senate expects that you will immediately roll up your sleeves and face the work ahead.”

Saraki said, “We also expect that you will treat all bills and reports referred to the committees expeditiously, especially those relating to our legislative agenda. The same applies to all your oversight reports.”

He reminded the senators that the senate took ethics very seriously, saying, “It is my expectation that in all your dealings, especially with government agencies, you will observe high ethical standards in discharging your duties.

“You must realise that you are a mirror that citizens will continuously cast their gaze upon. Your behaviour will determine to a large extent how the larger society will perceive every one of us. You must take care that you do not bring ethical questions upon this hallowed chambers. You must put this into consideration as you make your ethical choices while carrying out your duties.

“Any committee member found in an ethically doubtful behaviour will be sanctioned by this senate. I have also enjoined management and clerks to observe high standards of ethical behaviour in all their engagement with and for the committees especially on all oversight functions.

“The senate leadership today is willing and ready to support your committees with all that is needed to carry out its assignments, including adequate funding. I expect you to be innovative and broadminded, learn and bring on board any relevant ingredient from outside jurisdictions that will enrich the quality and content of our law-making.”

The senate president set out what is expected of the committees. While inaugurating the committees on defence and other security-related committees, Saraki said, “Senate takes keen interest in the activities of these very unique committees for the obvious reasons that they oversight the critical security superstructure on which the nation’s territorial integrity rests.

“May I use this opportunity, therefore, to salute the gallantry of our men and women who through sheer dedication and patriotism continue to ward off our nation’s enemies, especially, Boko Haram.

“This senate is alive to the enormity of the challenges faced by our military and wish to once again reassure our men and women of valour of the unflinching support of the senate and, indeed, the National Assembly to their welfare.

As members of this committee the senate has charged you to spare nothing as you work closely with the various ministries and agents of government to ensure accountability and probity in the management of resources appropriated for our military. We owe it as a solemn duty to our nation that our military regains its foothold as a regional power and a formidable military force in the air, sea and land.”

For the Senate Committee on Police, Saraki said, “As noted in our legislative agenda, this senate is fully aware of the need to recalibrate the Nigeria Police to enable it fulfil its constitutional mandate to provide internal security for our teeming population. For a country of over 170 million people, a 350,000-man police is grossly inadequate.

“Added to this is the fact that a significant number is attached to VIPs in a time when we are challenged security wise by the activities of Boko Haram, kidnaping and many other heinous crimes amongst many other issues including welfare and training, all make the case for a major reform imperative.

“I am encouraged by the membership of this committee and the resolution of the senate to work toward reforming our policing framework with a view to making our police much more 21st century oriented.

“I believe that as a committee the works ahead will require clarity of thought, focus, research and analysis, imagination and commitment to develop and recommend a roadmap for the effective equipping of our police for our greater security.”

On the Senate Committee on Agriculture, the senate president enjoined the members to strive to take the contribution of agriculture to the national GDP to between 35% and 40%, from its present contribution of 22.9%.  He tasked them with encouraging investment in the sector to boost export and rural development.

“The senate will rely on you largely to guide it towards delivering the right legislative instruments that would help us underpin such policy directions that will protect our farmers, increase yield, encourage investment in the production and value chain, planning and development of the sector,” Saraki stated.

He told the Committee on Water Resources, “It is heart-warming that the percentage of Nigerians with access to clean water has risen from 46% in 1991 to 64% in early 2015.

However, the expansion of sanitary waste management facilities has declined to 28% as at the end of 2014. We need to unlock this sector further to expand private sector players’ access to this market. Water resource and sanitary facility issues are very serious public utility issues that are fundamental to our people’s health and wellbeing.

“To this end, this committee has a mandate to oversight agencies of government and other water and sanitation utility providers to ensure that Nigerians receive the necessary support to guarantee access to this basic need.”

The senate president said the Committee on Niger Delta was instituted to strengthen the various interventions and oversight the agencies of government charged with the development of the Niger Delta as a special development case.

“It is not very heart-warming that not much has been achieved in terms of giving the people a sense of belonging and expanding their ability to access new opportunities which the various governments in the past have put in place for them,” he said.

He told the committee that the senate’s vision was to see better cohesion, coordination, and effectiveness in the activities of the various agencies established for the development of the Niger Delta.

To the Committee on Education, Saraki said they should facilitate a thorough revamping of the education system. He said the senate would rely on the Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND to interface with the educational institutions to determine the cause of the decay in the educational system with a view to fixing it.

“It should monitor the policy administration and spending of tertiary institutions and TETFUND and ensure that funds are efficiently applied for the purposes for which they are appropriated. It should also consider and propose new legislative interventions and laws by which our education sector can be revamped.

They should find out why the intervention fund from the TETFUND isn’t producing sterling results with our tertiary institutions and propose means of remedying them,” he said.

Saraki tasked the Committee on Media and Publicity to pursue the upper chamber’s goal of taking law-making to the people and delivering to them laws that will impact positively on their lives. “While we go about doing this, the people must be carried along.

This is where this committee’s work becomes very critical. Carrying the people along will require that we maintain a very dynamic articulate and engaging feedback medium that is people-centred.”

He said they should run an open door policy that would engage the public and remain accessible for information and enlightenment of the people on all activities of the senate.

“The eighth senate has put innovative mechanisms in place to empower the committees to act efficiently and independently in the discharge of their duties. Necessary resources will be made available to cover relevant activities of the committee in line with approved guidelines,” the senate president said.

–Okocha is Special Assistant to the President of Senate on Print Media.