Nigeria: No govt agency can treat NASS resolutions with contempt said Emodi

Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on National Assembly Matters, Senator Joy Emodi, said yesterday that the repackaged Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) by the Presidency would re-engineer the country’s petroleum industry.
According to her, PIB is one big project the present administration has shown so much commitment to, against the backdrop that it is expected to push the country’s petroleum industry, adding that this explained the setting up of the Senator Udo Udoma committee as well as the Nuhu Ribadu committee, among others.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja, Emodi who noted that no federal agency could afford to treat resolutions of the National Assembly with contempt, stressed that the executive and legislative arms were two sides of the same government and they should not be seen as operating parallel government.
According to her, under President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration no ministry, department or agency could afford to trivialise resolutions or even concerns raised by the National Assembly, adding: “If you are working with someone, the onus is on you to understand and cue into the person’s leadership style.”
The President, as Nigerians can also attest to, holds the National Assembly in high esteem and regards National Assembly members as partners in progress. The partnership has been working.”
It will be recalled that some National Assembly members have had cause to complain over alleged contemptuous manner some resolutions they passed were treated by the Executive arm.
Among such resolutions awaiting executive actions is the recent Senate recommendation that some privatised and commercialized government companies be revoked.
Emodi explained that just like the National Assembly go through legislative due process to arrive at a resolution, head of affected agency go through executive due process before any resolution could be implemented, adding, Athey would naturally seek legal advice on a motion and possibly consult with the legislature to appreciate the spirit of the motion.
ASome resolution might even require the board of the agency to meet or the head of such MDA may run foul of the law setting it up. While you must not joke with a motion because as the saying goes, vox populi vox dei (The voice of the people is the voice of the God), yet you must not also infringe on an extant law.
Government is not a one‑man business. It is like a train or long lorry as opposed to a Keke NAPEP. A train due to its massiveness will have to gradually engage its whole system both for takeoff and stopping. That is the problem.
These things take time and don=t necessarily amount to refusal. No responsible government agency would dare brush aside legislative resolutions as inconsequential. No, not in a democracy, and definitely not in His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan=s administration.@
Speaking further on the PIB, Senator Emodi who noted that when passed it would change a whole lot of things as well as about how we do things, ensure all the stakeholders are the happier for it, open up the industry more and enhance transparency and efficiency.
According to her, because of the importance of the oil and gas industry to the Nigerian economy, my expectation is that the President’s determination to ensure meaningful progress in the industry, reduce discretionary powers and institutionalise clear and enduring good governance in that sector would be realised through the PIB.@
She noted that PIB should be able to throw all processes including payments and contracts open and subject to public scrutiny, adding, AModern governance detests opaqueness and confidentiality because they are the incubators that corruption needs to hatch. Transparency and accountability by way of PIB will do the industry a lot of good. It should be able to engender a competitive fiscal system and effective cost management.