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Failure of past National Assembly boosts corruption, says Enang

By Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Abuja
10 January 2018   |   4:24 am
The Presidency yesterday took a swipe at the immediate past National Assembly for not carrying out its constitutional roles of checking corruption and leakages...

Ita-Enag

• Senate flays AGF’s attempt to halt investigation into Maina’s reinstatement
The Presidency yesterday took a swipe at the immediate past National Assembly for not carrying out its constitutional roles of checking corruption and leakages, a development it noted led to escalation of corruption in the country.

The Presidency further said that because the lawmakers concentrated less on their responsibility of exposing corruption, they could not uncover all corrupt practices allegedly perpetrated by some key government officials.

Addressing reporters in Abuja, Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, tendered apologies as a member of the David Mark led Senate, adding that though he was also a member of that Senate, but must apologise for lack of effective oversight on the agencies of government.

According to Enang, “If the committees in the 7th National Assembly were doing their work, by checking what was happening in the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Petroleum Ministry, we will not have had Diezanigate and all the other gates. But because the legislature concentrated less, that is why we are having the spill that the 8th Assembly is having. I feel guilty and I want to apologise. If the legislature did its duty like it is doing now, I think we will not have this situation.”

Enang however advises the Bukola Saraki led Senate to do less of politics and concentrate on issues that promote good governance and boost good relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government.

The presidential aide however disagreed with the senators on the issue of padding of the 2018 Appropriation Bill, saying that nothing like padding as budget proposals are documents which could been seen as dead on arrival.

“Unless a bill has been passed and forwarded to Mr. President for assent, there can be no padding.’’

Meanwhile, the Senate has condemned attempts by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Abubakar Malami, to use the courts to halt the probe by the National Assembly into how an Assistant Director in the Ministry of Interior, Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina, was surreptitiously reinstated into the service.

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