THERE WON'T BE FRICTION BETWEEN SENATORS, REPS -MARK
President of the Senate, Senator David Mark has assured that the present crop of legislators in the National Assembly will not engage in any form of rivalry or power tussle but will collaborate with one another to alleviate the suffering of the masses.
Senator Mark said this when he declared open the interactive session between members of the National Assembly and selected government departments and agencies on Thursday that the new leadership of the two chambers of the National Assembly have resolved to work harmoniously in order to build trust needed to make progress in all sectors of the economy.
According to Senator Mark: 'When it come to working as a team, there is only one National Assembly, there is no need for an agency to seek clearance from the Senate and go further to the House of Representatives for another. When we work together, things work smoother.
The Senate President, who is the chairman of the National Assembly, further said the legislature was the least understood arm of government in our country, saying that as representatives of the people, legislators must earn and maintain public confidence and trust.
Senator Mark noted that when both chambers engage in feud, it distracts the legislative process which could deprive the citizenry the opportunity to enjoy the benefit of democracy. He admonished legislators across board to hold the standards that place the public interest above private interests, saying the interactive session was timely, just as he assured that there would be several follow-up sessions to foster constructive dialogue and partnership with all stakeholders.
In the words of Senator Mark: 'I believe that experts in our midst, especially the budget office will explain the dynamics to follow in the course of budget formulation and implementation so as to minimise the amount of time taken to pass appropriation bill in the National Assembly.' Earlier in his welcome address, the Clerk to the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa called for cordial relationship between the Senate and the House of Representatives in order to facilitate passage of bills into law and enhance cordial working relationship between and among the three arms of government.
Maikasuwa said efforts of the government could only be progressive when there was collaboration among all tiers of government.
The interactive session witnessed presentations from some government departments and agencies such as National Planning Commission, Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Budget Office, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Code of Conduct Bureau, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Crimes Commission (ICPC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) and Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution among others.