From Fred Itua, Abuja

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has advised leaders in the country to fully apply themselves to the service of the people as against rendering mediocre services and setting the pace for failure.

Lawan spoke, yesterday, when members of the Senate Press Corps presented a birthday card d to him.

He said: “It is incumbent of all leaders at all levels to put ourselves together and address all challenges facing the country.  There are no excuses.”

According to Lawan, the National Assembly has so experienced its best performance during the life of the 9th National Assembly.

He said the Assembly was able to effect serious amendments to the deep shore production sharing formula to ensure that more money accrues to the treasury of the Federal Government.

“We were getting 216 million dollars. The amendments restored the revenue we were supposed to get. We disclosed that over $2 billion was attracted to the government purse as a result of those amendments.”

Lawan disclosed that there are people within and outside the National Assembly working against the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

The bill has been in the National Assembly since 2007 without success.

Lawan insisted that no matter the pressure, lawmakers in the present Assembly would go to any length in passing the PIB.

“When we resume we will work on the PIB because the world is waiting. It is like a demon that had defied every effort in the past. There are people in and outside the country working against the passage of the PIB.  They actually came and said we will leave this country for you,” he said.