For the Records

WE ARE ON COURSE:
BEING TEXT OF REMARKS BY THE
SPEAKER, HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, RT. HON. AMINU
WAZIRI TAMBUWAL CFR, , ON THE
OCCASION OF THE SPECIAL PLENARY
SESSION OF THE HOUSE ON FRIDAY
15TH JUNE 2012
Protocols
My Dear Honourable Colleagues,
I now formally welcome you to this
Special Session of Plenary which has
been summoned pursuant to Order
5(18)(2) of the Standing Rules of the
House of Representatives. It is the
Second Special Session since the 7th
House of Representatives was
inaugurated on the 6th June 2011.
2.The object of the Session, which
you have just accomplished, is to
deliberate on grave allegation of
bribery brought against a member of
this Hallowed Chambers. Hon. Farouk
Lawal by Mr. Femi Otedola, an oil
marketer, in connection with the
work of the Ad-Hoc Committee on
the Monitoring of Fuel Subsidy
Regime empanelled by the House for
that purpose.
3.In accordance with our Legislative
Agenda we must continue to be, not
only sensitive to the yearnings and
aspirations of Nigerians but also
proactive on all matters of urgent
National importance, therefore, while
I apologize for the inconveniences
caused to members by this sudden
recall from the recess, I trust, we all
appreciate that this is a call to
important civic duty for our dear
country.
4.Hon. Colleagues, when we elected
to pursue the entrenchment of
probity, accountability and
transparency in the conduct of
government business as a cardinal
Legislative Agenda we advised
ourselves never to expect that it will
be an easy task. Accordingly I have
had cause to occasionally sound a
note of warning and reminder that
our constitutional task is inescapably
hazardous requiring total
commitment, diligence,
transparency; determination and
sacrifice.
5.The Constitution has given the
parliament three broad duties which
include Law Making, Representation
and Oversight. It is interesting to
note that of these three, it is that last
function, which gives legislature the
powers to conduct oversight, that has
tended to cause conflict between the
legislature and the Executive and
remains the most controversial. Yet.
it would have been impossible to
conduct the other two functions
successfully if the Constitution had
not given the parliament oversight
powers: the single most potent
weapon that makers of the
Constitution put in place to check
abuse by those who execute its law.
6.In full compliance with the
Constitutional prescription in S 62(1)
and (2) the House has always
ensured that all Committees
empanelled by it, be they Ad-Hoc or
Standing, are given a clear mandate.
I find it compelling to state for the
umpteenth time that the
constitutional power of investigation
conferred on the Legislature is for
the purpose of law reform and for
the exposure of corruption,
inefficiency or waste in the execution
or administration of laws within its
legislative competence and in the
disbursement or administration of
funds appropriated by it. In the
exercise of this function there shall
be no sacred cows.
7.I have emphasized the
constitutionality of the oversight
function of the legislature because
there lingers among many public
officials, the notion that in holding
public or investigative hearings, the
Legislature is over stepping its
bounds and also neglecting its other
functions. Nothing can be further
from the truth. The records of our
performance for the first legislative
year which just ended on 6th of June 2012.

#CONSENSUS 2015