Senate passes 25 bills in one year

The Senate passed 25 out of the 447 bills introduced on its floor in the last one year.

Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, who disclosed in Abuja on Thursday, also said that the upper chamber adopted 115 resolutions.

The 10th Senate was inaugurated on 13 June, 2023.

Mr Bamidele said the 25 bills fully passed into law, comparatively, accounted for 5.24 per cent of the entire bills introduced within the timeframe.

According to him, aside the 25 fully enacted pieces of legislation, no fewer than 275 bills (57.65 per cent) were read for the first time within the timeframe.

“About 135 (28.32 per cent) awaiting first reading; 45 (9.43 per cent) awaiting the second reading; 43 (9.02 per cent) currently at the committee stage and three bills (0.63 per cent) were refused on different grounds.”

He added that while only 13 (2.73 per cent) of the total bills originated from the executive arm, 464 (97.27 per cent) were private member bills.

“Apart from the bills, the Senate arrived at 115 resolutions, which are far-reaching in consequence; profound in their significance to our economic development and strategic to the cohesion, growth and stability of our nation.

“Each of these resolutions arose from motions of national importance, which different distinguished senators sponsored after due diligence was conducted,” he said.

According to him, the Senate also received and treated petitions from members of the public on diverse matters of grave concern within the timeframe.

“In spite of time constraint, 50 of the public petitions were successfully and satisfactorily resolved.

”The Senate equally screened and confirmed 215 nominees for different political offices at the request of President Bola Tinubu and in accordance with Section 147 (2-6) of the 1999 Constitution and other Acts of the National Assembly.

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“Among others, the confirmations include key appointments into the Federal Executive Council, Board of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the leadership of the Nigeria Armed Forces, Nigeria Police Force.

“Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigeria Customs Service, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission”, he said.

He explained that the confirmations were key to national development and speeded up the process of forming or constituting the national government at a very critical time when the economy was struggling to stay afloat.

“National security under threat and internal cohesion was seriously gasping for fresh breath.

“Already, the first year has passed by and we have decisively addressed issues of strategic national interest with utmost priority,” he said.

(NAN)