It is gradually becoming a global phenomenon that elected
political officeholders are accessed of their performances in
office on the 100th day of assumption of office. It is basically
to ensure that they are in line with their campaign
manifestoes as well as their administrative agenda.
Few days ago, President Muhammadu Buhari clocked 100
days in office, while the President of the Senate and indeed,
the chairman of the National Assembly, Dr Abubakar Bukola
Saraki would be hundred days in office this Wednesday. He
assumed office on June 9, 2015, as the President of the
Senate.
It is in line with this that it has become necessary to highlight
what could be described as the landmarks under Senator
Saraki as the Senate President and Chairman of the National
Assembly and how he has been able to pilot the affairs of
the Senate under him within the last 100 days in office
Saraki has succeeded in galvanising the senators into one
united upper legislative chamber, irrespective of the
circumstances that led to his emergence as the President of
the Senate on Tuesday June 9 2015. A pointer to this is the
resounding vote of confidence given to him by no less than
81 senators from both the ruling All Progressives Congress
(APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This is very
significant because it shows the confidence and support his
colleagues has on Saraki’s leadership ability as a team
player.

The Senate President has shown this quality in the
constitution of some of the standing and ad hoc committees
of the Senate, where he exhibited a high standing moral and
leadership quality by ensuring that not only senators who
are his supporters are given the privileges of becoming the
chairmen of these committees. For the records, the Senate
President deliberately ensured that all shades of interests
are accommodated in the committees, so far constituted.
Apart from this, the Senate under Saraki has ensured the
passage of motions that have positive bearing and impact
on the welfare of Nigerians, especially as the performance,
efficiency and supply of electricity to Nigerians. It was
because of the motion passed by the Senate that led to the
review of electricity tariff by the National Electricity
Regulation Commission (NERC). Today, through the
response of the Chairman of NERC, Dr Sam Amadi, the
mandatory N700 fixed rate charged consumers by the
Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) have been removed
and as well as bulk metering abolished.
This is kudos to the Senate under Saraki as a responsive
legislative arm of government that listens to the plights of
Nigerians.

Closely associated with this is the investigation into the
management of resources in the power sector. The ad hoc
committee of the Senate led by the former governor of
Kebbi State, Adamu Aliero, is currently probing the power
sector where the Permanent Secretary of the Federal
Ministry of Power, Godknows Igali, has revealed that over
N2.77 trillion has been spent on power generation since
1999, yet, there is no constant power supply in the country.
This committee is one of the ad hoc committees set up by
the Senate before embarking on its statutory recess.
This, notwithstanding, the Senate under Saraki as the
President for the first time showed concern to the plights of
the internally displaced persons in the Northeast of the
country. Through a motion passed by the Senate, the Senate
leadership visited the IDP camps in Maidugiri, where the
members of the upper legislative chamber saw firsthand the
problems confronting the IDPs in the various camps littered
all over Maidugiri. They were also briefed by the Borno State
governor, Kashim Shettima.

The same visit was followed up by the Deputy Senate
President, Ike Ekweremadu to Yobe State. By so doing, the
Senate has come to show that lawmaking is not only sitting
at the chambers of the National Assembly but also visiting
the places and persons concerned on issues to see firsthand
before passing any motion or laws that would have direct
bearing on the people whom they represent. This in indeed
how to ensure a perfect oversight function of lawmaking.
Since the visit to the IDP camps in Maidugiri, the Senate
President has become the number one campaigner to seek
external funding to rehabilitate the damages caused by the
Boko Haram insurgency in some part of the Northeast. For
instance, in this new diplomatic initiative, when he received
the envoys of Spain, India and Mexico who paid a courtesy
visit to him, Saraki called for an international funding to
rebuild the affected places in the Northeast.

Even at the last meeting of the Speakers of Parliaments’
meeting hosted by the Secretary General of the United
Nations (UN), Banki Moon, the Senate President continued
his campaign for external funding to rehabilitate the
Northeast.

In his speech at the meetin, Saraki urged the international
community to partner with Nigeria to defeat the Boko
Haram insurgency.

Saraki noted that the brutality of the Boko Haram and all
other menace of terrorism require international support to
eradicate. He specifically noted that the menace of the Boko
Haram insurgency has become a clog in the wheel of
progress in Nigeria, while counselling that terrorism as
occasioned by Boko Haram should not be treated as local
problem.

Speaking later at another meeting with the German and
French delegations, the Senate President called for
international support for the building of the Nigerian
economy.

Now, to the main business of the day. The first 100 days of
the 8th Senate under Senator Saraki in support with the
change mantra of the President Buhari’s administration has
been quite supportive in its anti-corruption campaign. Upon
assumption of duties as the Senate President, Saraki in a
meeting with the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria
(CBN) identified the flaws in the granting of waivers in the
payment of the relevant duties before goods are imported
into the country.

It was after the first meeting that Saraki had with the CBN
governor, Godwin Emefiele that it was revealed that import
duty waivers were granted to some companies in the
importation of rice, groundnut oil and other agricultural
produce to the detriment of the economy. The implication of
this is the loss of revenue to the federation account. This
was followed up by the setting up of Senate ad hoc
committee to unravel the companies involved and ensure
that the companies remit the money into the coffers of the
federation. Today, there is a Senate Committee led by
Adamu Aliero.

Just on Wednesday, as part of activities within his first 100
Days in office, the Senate President did what his
predecessors have not done. For more than two hours, he
undertook a tour of the facilities in the National Assembly.
His reason was to see things for himself. He said that the
aim of the facility tour was to enable him and other principal
officers to see things for themselves and for an on-the-spot
assessment and to give room for good understanding of
things.

Accordingly, he said after the tour that, “The Assembly
complex represents the image of the National Assembly. So,
it is important for us to see what the issues are and have an
understanding of the environment.”
What is more, the taste of the pudding is in the eating. More
is certainly on the way, if the Senate under Saraki could
cover this mileage in merely 100 days.

Okocha is the Special Assistant to the Senate President on
Print Media
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that is the kind of leadership qualities, a country like Nigeria needs. A leader with a Vision and without a God father. He Belongs to everybody and belongs to Nobody. Not like "Rivers People Know That I Dont Like Money"

Poor performance from Senator Bukola led national assembly similar to Gov. Ambode led lagos state government house

Plz can someone tell me what all this long story is for?

KwoiZabo:
Plz can someone tell me what all this long story is for?

A piece of one who does not know the difference between constitutional roles and achievements. It will have been better had he not decide to write. The senate under Saraki does not know the constitutional role it is to perform.
No agenda?
what is the area of need of Nigerian?
Where do they want to position Nigeria and Nigerian laws?
They have no business meeting ambassadors and probes, instead create law to empower agency and stimulate growth and development. To me Saraki is yet to start.