The senate’s ‘most dependable, distinctive’ presiding officer

The phrase with the inverted comma in the headline was borrowed from the statement issued by former US President, George W. Bush, in his statement on the death of former US Secretary of State and National Security Adviser, Prof. Henry Kissinger, at the age of 100 late last month.

The phrase aptly describes the rating of Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki who turned 61 today in the history of Nigeria’s Senate. In the four action-filled years that Saraki spent as the President of the Eighth Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he appears to have set such a high standard that his predecessors and successors are judged by the achievements that his leadership recorded between 2015 and 2019.

The period of the 8th Senate continues to evoke mixed feelings among two groups of Nigerians. The first is the Buharists who still feel aggrieved that Saraki prevented their group from exercising limitless, absolute, and uninhibited control. For this group, Saraki is loathed, undesirable, and intolerable.

The second group are the ordinary Nigerians who yearn for a true democracy with the presidential system being practiced in its truest form. This latter group sees Saraki as a symbol of the real separation of powers as canvassed by Baron de Montesquieu in his book, Espirit de Lois (The Spirit of Laws), with the three branches – legislature, executive, and judiciary functioning as independent, but cooperating, arms of government whose individual focus is to better serve the electorate and the generality of the people.

Saraki knew that in the manner he emerged as Senate President, he had no option but to pitch his tent with the latter group. It was clear to him that the establishment would continue to assail him and plot his fall from the top legislative chair. It was also clear to him that what could retain him in the seat was his close relationship with his colleagues with whom he could drive a legislative agenda that would serve the interests of the people. He was determined to convince the people that the legislature was the most representative of the people among the three arms of government.

As Senate President, Saraki, in his trademark style of leaving any place he got to better than he met it, was convinced that the people were unnecessarily too distanced or detached from the legislature. He theorized that this gap must have been created because, among all the three arms of government, the legislature is the one with the least number of years of existence in our polity.

With every military intervention in the nation’s political leadership, the legislature was suspended while the military governed with just the executive and judiciary arms of government. Thus, the legislature is often misunderstood. The people seem to have grown not only far from the institution, but they have become accustomed to being suspicious of all moves made by the law-making body and its members.

Saraki’s strategy then was to introduce innovative ideas, interventions, and positive exchanges which constantly created avenues for engagement with the people. The 8th Senate in its Legislative Agenda chose to focus on three broad areas: Improving Livelihood, Improving Governance, and, Improving Business. Thus, the 8th Senate became the first to hold public hearings on the passage of the budget and held Roundtable dialogues on pressing national issues like security, drug abuse, illegal migration, and education reforms. These engagements were held outside the legislative complex. For example, the one on drug abuse was held in Kano while that on the issue of illegal migration was held in Benin, as well as that on security which was held at the Nigeria Air Force Conference Centre, Abuja.

In the same way, the Senate under Saraki held meetings with stakeholders on education, youth unemployment, and health. Also, the Senate repositioned and restructured its committee on ethics, privileges, and public petitions such that it became a veritable mediator between members of the public whose rights were breached by government ministries, departments, and agencies as well as other private sector establishments. Most of the affected individuals who resorted to the Senate committee could not afford the cost and time needed for litigation in courts. The 8th Senate made sure its committee on the public petition was in a position to help such people seek redress and get justice. Till today, the 8th Senate under Saraki treated, investigated, and completed work on the highest number of petitions ever in the history of the Nigerian Senate.

The 8th Senate also had passed landmark bills some of which were direct responses to the yearning of the people. Two instances that demonstrated how the Senate responded promptly with appropriate legislation to address issues plaguing the people were the Compulsory Treatment and Care of Victims of Gunshots Act and Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Educational Institutions Act. These two laws were a direct response to immediate situations that reflected ugly trends in society. Also, the passage of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) Act which was aimed at rebuilding, reconstructing, and rehabilitating the insurgency-ravaged zone of the country as the war waged on the people and their environment by the Boko Haram was creating refugees or displaced people in its wake.

To further strengthen the security system in the country, the 8th Senate initiated the Police Trust Fund Act which was to help fund the activities of the police and equip the personnel. Also, the Police Reforms Bill was introduced to remove impediments in the way of creating modern policing system in the country.

The Senate also tackled corruption through the passage of Bills like the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Agency Act to separate the former NFIU from the EFCC in compliance with international best practices, the Federal Audit Services Commission Act, the Whistleblowers Protection Bill, and the Witness Protection Programmes Bill.

Specific Bills were also passed to help the recovery of the national economy. The same rejuvenation was done to the constitution which witnessed the lowering of age qualification for key public offices. That new provision was nicknamed the ‘Not Too Young To Run’ law. It was a law that excited the youth who now constitute a critical segment of the populace. Another constitutional amendment introduced by the 8th Senate granted Financial Autonomy to State Houses of Assembly and local government councils.

The Buhari presidency refused to give assent to many of the bills. To the government, depriving their so-called ‘enemy’ of the credits for bringing about these lofty initiatives outweighed the benefits that the country could have gained from these laws.

Yet, Saraki was able to rally his colleagues to work hard and get Nigerians to see the potential of having a strong legislative institution. The 8th Senate was one in which transparency, accountability, and openness were consciously promoted by the leadership. The details of the budget of the National Assembly became public during that era. Plenary proceedings were streamed live for the public. Key major confirmation hearings for nominees of the executive were aired live on television.

It is for these and many reasons that the performance of Senate Presidents who came after Saraki has been measured with and against that of the 2015-2019 era. Also, that is why Saraki’s name featured in the run-up to the election of the two senate presidents after him. It is also the reason why serving senators and House of Representatives elected on the platform of different political parties continue to throng Saraki’s homes in Abuja and Lagos to consult and show solidarity with him. It is also the reason why he was one of the key speakers selected to share his experiences with the members of the 10th Senate at their recent retreat in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State.

You can now see why this 61-year-old Waziri of Ilorin, a grandfather and medical doctor is “the most dependable, distinctive”, distinguished, discerning, devoted, decisive, dogged, daring, disciplined, dedicated, and dazzling Senate President that our country has ever produced.

Happy birthday, sir, as you turn 61 today. Many happy returns.

Olaniyonu is head of the Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office, Abuja.