Senators Berate Buhari over Uncomplimentary Remarks About Senate
...Confirms Four out of Five CBN Board Nominees
The Senate on Thursday chastised President Muhamadu
Buhari over his recent comments that National Assembly members who have spent over
10 years as lawmakers are bench warmers
President Buhari had last week at the Presidential
Villa while playing host to the management team of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS)
said lawmakers have been in the parliament for 10 years with nothing concrete to justify their stay-without
sponsoring a single Bill
Reacting to Buhari's statement during plenary, Senator
Dino Melaye described the president's remarks as unwarranted and un-parliamentary
Melaye, who came under Order 14 of the Senate which
deals with members’ privileges, said his privilege as a senator had been
infringed upon by the president's statement
He said having been a member of the National
Assembly since 2007 he has contributed meaningfully to the law making process
in the country.
Describing Buhari's statement as uncalled for, un-parliamentary
and unpresidential, Melaye emphasised that two of the bills sponsored by him
are awaiting the president's assent
"So I stand here to say I'm not a bench warmer
and I know what I'm doing having contributed to motions and sponsored bills
since I got to the National Assembly in 2007," the senator said.
He also accused the Comptroller-General of NSC, Col
Ahmeed Ali (rtd), of openly campaigning for the re-election of Buhari during
his visit to Aso Rock last week
According to Melaye, "It is very wrong for
head of Customs to be involved in politics. Nigeria Customs is a para-military
organisation while the CG is a rank and are both supposed to be apolitical
"Just like saying the Inspector- General of
Police (IG) or Chief of Air Staff now mounting the podium to openly campaign
for the president. This is not ideal and should not be tolerated."
He said lawmakers spent their time and energy to
come up with bills "which have impacted positively on the operations of
agencies like NCS and others that should not dabble into politics."
Melaye, who added that he has a disk containing all
what Buhari said on the occasion as reported by local television stations,
therefore called on the Senate to ask for an apology from President Buhari and stressed
that a decisive action needed to be taken on the matter.
In his comment, Senate President Bukola Saraki, while
asking Melaye to lay the disk before the Senate, emphasised that President
Buhari may have been quoted out of context, "and as such, we should not
rush to any conclusion on the issue."
He said public institutions such as Customs should
not veer into politics.
"We must therefore protect the agencies by
calling such agencies and parastatals to
order because they have a role to play in the development of the country,"
he said.
Melaye, who was sitting at the rear of the PDP wing
of the Senate Chambers, thereafter limped with his walking stick and moved to
the front and laid the disk before the Senate.
Also yesterday, the Senate confirmed four out of
five non-executive director nominees for the Board of the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN) presented to it by its Committee on Banking, Insurance and other
Financial Institutions headed by Senator Adebayo Ibrahim.
The confirmed nominees are Adeola Adetunji and
three Professors namely Mike Obadan, Justina Odinakachukwu and Ummu Jalingo
Saraki directed the committee to re-screen the
remaining nominee, Dr. Abdu Abubakar, and report back to the Senate.
Abubakar who was screened along with other nominees
by the committee last Wednesday was rejected based on avalanche of petitions
against his nomination.
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