Against the backdrop of alleged compromise, federal lawmakers have been allowing in carrying out their oversight functions on Federal government owned Ministries, Departments and Agencies ( MDAs) over the years, elected federal lawmakers for the ninth National Assembly said there would be no room for such corrupt practices.
The chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC), Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, had on Friday last week, alleged that members of the National Assembly usually compromise their major constitutional functions of oversight and investigations .
The ICPC chairman made the allegation while delivering a paper titled ‘The Role of the Legislature in the War Against Corruption and Graft’ on the last day of the induction course for the second batch of elected members of the coming 9th Assembly.
He said as a result of the compromise, which came through commercialisation of their activities, the lawmakers lack the will to carry out their constitutional roles.
But some of the federal lawmakers -elect for the 9th Assembly in separate interviews with the Blueprint on Saturday said such practices would not be condoned by them when inaugurated into office .
One of them, Mr Francis Ottah Agbo, a federal lawmaker- elect from Benue State vowed to make life extremely difficult for public office holders who may wish to loot and steal from Nigeria’s common treasury .
Agbo who is elected to represent Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo federal constituency from Benue State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP), said he looked forward to a robust ninth assembly that will effectively through oversights, keeps the executive in check.
“I expect to to see a ninth assembly that will make life very difficult for corrupt government officials through its oversight functions.
We intend to serve Nigerians in all ramifications. We intend to minimize the negative perceptions that Nigerians have about the National Assembly. We will enthrone more transparency in our business. We want people to know that we are the parliamentarians for Nigerians, not parliamentarians for our pockets.
“We intend to strengthen internal democracy many of our people don’t know what they call internal democracy. On oversight functions, we intend to give sleepless nights to fight corrupt government officials. We intend to ensure that every section of the country gets its correct share”, he said .
Another Hon Member- elect, Abiola Shina- Peller from Oyo State said he was looking forward to a peaceful Ninth National Assembly that will guarantee the delivery of dividends of democracy to the electorates.
“Their interest is the most important in what we will be doing in the National Assembly. For me, I am looking forward to a good working relationship with my colleagues for delivery of dividends of democracy to the generality of the Nigerian masses”, he said.
Three critical areas of education, infrastructural deficit and unemployment, are to the Senator – elect from Kaduna Central, Uba Sani, very important for the ninth Assembly in collaboration with the PDP executive to tackle .
Sani who got elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress ( APC), said : “I will ensure that the problems of education and infrastructure and unemployment are seriously addressed . I will use my good office to present motions and bills that would address the plights of my constituency.
“Some of us have worked closely with the executive arm of government before coming here and we believe that we cannot achieve anything unless we agree and work closely with the executive. We have the responsibility to check the executive arm of government but we don’t need to be confrontational in doing so.
“The power of the legislature largely lies on its constitutional mandate of appropriation for whatever monies to be spent and also oversight on how such monies are spent or projects executed .
“With these powers , there is no need for unnecessary confrontation with the executive or other arm of government but just use it in ensuring transparency, accountability and probity in the spending of public fund which is even the hallmark of President Muhammadu Buhari led administration”.
