The Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has said that the decision of the National Assembly(NASS) to endorse the declaration of state of emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu, was in the interest of the nation.
Defending the declaration, Bamidele said,,” Emergency is an extraordinary measure, and it must be treated as such in the interest of peace and without subjecting to the scrutiny of some parochial interests.”
Bamidele made the remarks on Saturday at the 29th convocation ceremony of the Ekiti State University(EKSU), Ado Ekiti, where he was conferred with a honorary doctorate degree, Doctor of Law (Honoris Causa).
Others who were also honoured at the ceremony include, the Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Dr Zacch Adedeji who received Doctor of Business Administration (Honoris Causa) and the Chairman, Board of the Bank of Industry, Dr Mansur Muhtar, who was conferred with Doctor of Finance (Honoris Causa).
The Senate Leader who explained that the proclamation in Rivers State pacified political tension in the state, noted that NASS should be commended and not vilified for taken the decision.
“What exactly do we want as a people? A federation that functions for all? Or a federation that relapses into an intractable crisis? We must recognise that emergency rule is an extraordinary measure, and it must be treated as such in the interest of peace and security.
“As stipulated in Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the National Assembly is required to provide its details. The provisions of the 1999 Constitution cannot be interpreted casually without proper understanding of the Nigeria Interpretation Act. 2004.
“As a responsible and responsive parliament that sees peace and stability as a catalyst of growth and development, we were inaugurated into office to promote a nation that works for all and that guarantees the peaceful coexistence of all.
“This desire defines our resolve to ratify the proclamation of the state of emergency in Rivers State with far-reaching provisions. One of such provisions is the constitution of the National Peace Committee to midwife the peace process between the Executive and Legislature in the state.
“We should be commended for this laudable initiative and not be vilified by some political actors, who do not bother about what happens to our national security, but about their parochial interest. Regardless of their unpatriotic moves, we firmly stand for the peace and stability of Nigeria.
“We shall continue to leverage the Authority of the National Assembly to guarantee her peaceful co-existence. Our decision, as an institution, is taken purely in the national interest. If any interest is unsatisfied with it, they can as well seek redress in the law court.”
The Senate Leader decried the barrage of attacks by the opposition parties against the National Assembly, saying the attacks “are purely based on emotions and not reasons; sentiments and not substance.”
He said, “Regardless of baseless and needless attacks our critics are throwing at the National Assembly, we are undeterred because we are truly on a rescue mission. The essence of the mission aims at bringing our fatherland from the abyss of regression to the path of progression through the enactment of pro-people legislations and by cultivating strategic collaboration with other arms of government.
“Collaboration, in this sense, does not suggest the erosion of the independence of the National Assembly for any reason. Rather, in reality, it reinforces the spirit of interdependence that constitutional democracy entails in order to resolve hydra-headed issues that often clog the mechanism of accountable governance.”
He expressed that the National Assembly is focused on building a federation that enjoys internal stability and that rests solidly on the rules of law through the instrumentality of legislation, oversight and representation.
“We are also committed to creating a system that will enable quality education; that will guarantee limitless placements for all our graduates; that will prioritise access to decent houses nationwide; that will significantly reverse our nation’s reports of untold misery and that will, most importantly, remove all barriers to gender inequality.
“How can our nation attain this lofty status without a strategic collaboration being forged among various arms of government? This is the exact question that our hardened critics have failed to ask themselves. Anyway, we have left them to their politically motivated attacks.
“This does not suggest we are afraid of criticisms as the foremost democratic institution. We are not and we will never be because we believe democracy naturally thrives on public criticisms. But such criticisms must be constructive and well structured with the intention of providing alternative, credible and patriotic initiatives.”
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