From Fred Itua, Abuja

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President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, has said the passage of both the Administrative and Fiscal Policy Bills for the Petroleum Industry will be parts of the priorities for the eighth Senate when it resumes after its annual recess.
Saraki said the issues that will take up the Senate’s time over the next 22 months were development of Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit through appropriate legislation, passage of bills aimed at repositioning the national economy to enable it address the rising unemployment and strengthening Nigeria’s democracy through legislative oversight on government establishments.
Other issues are the need to entrench transparency in governance at all levels, creating universal health coverage law and strengthening the institution of the Senate by ensuring that people begin to understand the role of parliament in the governing of the nation.
“From day one, this Senate had its own legislative agenda. You will see that some of the things we have been doing, are working our way through this agenda, in order to cross items off our list and deliver on our promised change. This has allowed us to treat more petitions than any other parliament in our nation’s history, and pass more Bills at the mid-term mark.
“This is why, as we return in September, we will be finalising on our infrastructure and social intervention pieces of legislation. These are laws that will not only make it easier for small and medium enterprises across the nation to do business. We will make laws that would create ample opportunities for all Nigerians to realize their potentials.
“Additionally, the host community component of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which looks at the ecological debt incurred against communities where petroleum exploration happens, and the community participation and security of these communities will also be on the front-burner of our affairs. This is something Nigerians can watch out for.”