President of the Senate , Dr. Bukola Saraki , yesterday challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to form an all -inclusive government to be able to tackle the current economic challenges menacing the country. He urged the president to shop for the best brains , irrespective of their sociopolitical leanings, who have the know- how and would help to come up with pragmatic measures , to fix the ailing economy and rescue the citizens from persistent hardship. Also, senators have expressed serious concerns on the state of the economy . Saraki gave the admonition in his speech as the Eighth Senate marked its one - year anniversary .

Saraki also called on the Federal Government to adopt dialogue in dealing with the Niger Delta Avengers , while also urging the aggrieved militants to channel their grievances to democratic institutions for better handling .

He said: “These are serious challenges that require all hands to be on deck. There is no other time in our history than now when the business of government needs to be conducted with great inclusiveness . We must find a way to bring the best brains in our country on board wherever they may be found . “Even those who did not vote for us , but believe in the change that we all believe is necessary to move our country forward , should be given a seat at the table . If we are able to mobilise the best human resources that God has bountifully blessed our country with , I have no doubt that with God on our side , we shall overcome .

“I cannot end this address without a note on the on - going security challenges we are beginning to witness in the Niger Delta area of our country . We urge the warring militants to embrace our democratic institutions and channel their grievances through appropriate quarters as we can ill afford further damage to the ecosystem of this all important region and any more disruptions in the system. “In the same vein , we also encourage government to adopt dialogue and engagement as a more lasting option towards resolving this challenge . We also call on the leaders in the area to play their part and ensure through mediation that this menace is comprehensively quelled . ”

The President of the Senate further urged the Federal Government to ensure judicious use of the N 500 billion captured in the 2016 budget for social welfare services so that the benefits would get to genuine targets of the programme. He said that the Senate would embark on serious oversight to ensure proper application of the funds, urging Buhari to support the legislature in carrying out the oversight to successful ends.

“We note the Federal Government ’ s plan to invest N 500 billion in social protection programmes in the current budget . We want to urge the government to ensure that appropriate mechanism is devised which would ensure that the benefits of these programmes get to those who are genuinely in need. “We are confident that one year after , the president must by now have better clarity on the capacity of his appointees .

The Senate would not hesitate to hold any appointee accountable for the work he has accepted to do . We would like to seek Mr . President ’s support and co - operation to enable us discharge this oversight task ,” he said.

Saraki noted that the Eighth Senate was faced with enormous challenges that attempted to destabilise the chamber from operating effectively. He, however , appreciated the resolve of members to work together as a unit , deal with the problems and make landmark impact in legislating very actively for the good governance of the country. He observed that the biggest challenges confronting the present administration were the unprecedented decline in government revenue and the state of security in the country .

The President of the Senate lamented that the sudden crash of the price of crude oil in the international market brought an unprecedented monumental shock to the economy . “The collapse in oil price has, without doubt, brought huge shock to our economy on a scale that perhaps, has never been experienced before. This requires us to develop creative strategies that would stimulate business and investments into other sectors.

“For decades , we have talked about the need to diversify our economy . But we have failed to take the necessary steps in policy and legislations that would set us on the path to developing the kind of economy that we desire . “The Ease of Doing Business Report that ranks our country 167 out of 189 countries is not likely to attract business into our economy . This Senate understands this . “With the support from our international development partners , the organised private sector , we commissioned an expert report which identified 54 extant laws that must be reviewed and brought in line with international best practices in order to open up our economy for private investments and business. ”

Also , senators expressed their readiness to support the efforts of the executive to tackle the numerous economic challenges bedevilling the country at the moment. In his submissions , the Deputy President of the Senate , Ike Ekweremadu , urged the executive to fast track all the palliative measures to cushion the economy hardship in the country . Chief Whip of the Senate , Olusola Adeyeye, stressed the need for the Federal Government to work towards making the living standard of Nigerians better in the coming year.

He said: “Unemployment is high, insecurity is troublesome, most of the treasury of the land is empty and so we must summon courage to find solution to these problems .

“Before we know it, we will get buried in the process of election , as such the next one year should not be like the last one year . Every part of Nigeria is doing badly and the earlier we come together to find solution to our problems the better for us . “We must summon the wisdom , honesty and consideration to do what we ought to for Nigerians ,’’ he said. Senator Sani Shehu (APC- Kaduna Central) called on the senators to work towards ensuring that bills and motions have direct positive effect on the masses.

“We started with a lot of conflicts, misunderstanding and quarrels , but this period demands that we take stock, look at our weakness and work to make next year better than this year ,” he said. Senator Ovie Omo - Agege (LP - Delta Central) called on his colleagues to pass bills and motions that would have direct impact on ordinary Nigerians . Senator Ben Bruce (PDP - Bayelsa East) decried the level of population explosion , which he said was not commensurate with the level of development in the country.

He further called on the Federal Government to give priority to capital projects in subsequent budgets . “ The civil service is made up of 2 . 2 million people and if they consume 75 per cent of our income , then we have problem , ” he said. “We want money for capital expenditure; we can’ t survive if all we do is pay salaries. ”

Senator Isah Misau (APC- Bauchi Central) said that the current trial of the president of the Senate at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT ) was a political witch- hunt aimed at tarnishing the image of the legislature. “The trial of Senate President is the greatest injustice I have ever seen . We have different cases that require attention in the country but they have faced Saraki .

“The executive has immunity and the head of the judiciary is protected but legislature is being treated this way. Why are we keeping quiet?” he said. The Leader of the Senate , Ali Ndume , was rather sarcastic towards the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP ) senators .

He said: “I want to add and commend the mutual respect and relationship that exist between the opposition and the ruling or governing party . “In fact, your maturity level has gone to an extent that you rightly behave as minorities instead of opposition for democracy.

And that is very commendable . Your kindness has extended to the extent of instead of fighting us ; you are fighting yourselves and allowing us to do our job . We thank you very much and I hope you will continue to fight yourselves so that we would continue to do the good job for this country. ”

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