Yar’Adua throws back Obasanjo’s 23 left-over bills to Senate

Yar’Adua throws back Obasanjo’s 23 left-over bills to Senate…‘Missing’ FOI bill ‘found’ in Villa By BASHIR UMAR, AbujaFriday, June 27, 2008
•President Umaru Yar’aduaPhoto: Sun News Publishing
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Following former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s failure to assent to 23 “major” bills, the Senate is overloaded, as President Umaru Yar’adua has re-introduced all the abandoned bills for fresh legislative re-jigging and passage. This is in addition to the 37 others pending before the upper chamber. Having laboured for the passage of 23 bills left over by Obasanjo, the Senate may override President Yar’Adua’s reshuffling request deal.The president, in a letter dated June 23, 2008, which was read yesterday on the floor of the Senate by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, returned the 23 bills already passed by the National Assembly and forwarded to the presidency for assent.Among the 23 bills returned to the Senate is the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill, which the former president claimed did not reach his table while in office. The last Senate under former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, had insisted that the FOI bill was sent to the presidency. During the plenary session yesterday, the Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Olorunmibe Mamora, said return of the 23 bills, which were mostly private members’ bills, would discourage members from sponsoring bills after charging their mental capability to get them passed. The Lagos senator, who raised a constitutional order citing Section 58 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, advised that the rules of the Senate should be looked into, to tackle the situation. He said: “I am a bit worried by the number of bills that were not signed into law. After all the brainwork and they were passed by the National Assembly and yet they were not signed by the president. Over 90 per cent of them are private members’ bills and this will discourage members from sponsoring their bills.“I just want us to look at this in our rules and see what we can do under this circumstance,” he stated.Also speaking on the matter, Senator Nuhu Aliyu said: “It is a very serious matter. We should find a special day for us to sit and consider all these.”Deputy Senate president informed the Senate that there were two sets of bills explaining: “The first set starts with bills pending with the president for his assent and I believe they have been returned.” Yar’Adua letter that escorted the 23 returned bills said: “I hereby re-introduce for formal consideration and passage into law by the Senate, the attached list of pending executive bills which were not passed at the time the preceeding legislature stood dissolved.”He said: “Included in the list are all the executive bills related to major sectoral, economic and social reforms proposed by the previous administration.”He expressed hope that the bills will “receive the usual prompt attention of the Senate.”