President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the term check and balance between the executive and legislature does not mean invitation to conflict and quarrel.
“The obligation to check and balance each other is not an invitation to conflict, and it should not be characterised by quarrelsome disagreement when consultation, engagements and compromise have proven time and again to be a more effective approach.”
President Buhari, who spoke at a dinner with members of the National Assembly, held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, said “our ability to govern in the best interests of the Nigerian people depends to a great deal on effective collaboration and partnership between the Legislature and the Executive.
The President hailed the ninth National Assembly for discharging their legislative duties with maturity and competence, describing the legislature as “full partners in national development.”
He particularly commended the minority parties in the legislature for their cooperation and support for Government programmes.
“In the 9th Assembly, you have distinguished yourselves by your conduct in office, by the scale and quality of your legislative interventions, and by your capacity for engaging with the difficult questions facing the country with maturity and competence,’’ he said.
The President listed some legislative accomplishments of the ninth assembly ranging from returning of our budget cycle to January to December, the amendment of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), the Nigeria Police Act, the Finance Act, the Deep Offshore Production Sharing Contract Act, amongst others.
The President said that the leadership of the ninety National Assembly had also succeeded in overcoming the political and other obstacles that have, for two decades, inhibited the much-needed reforms of our Oil and Gas industry, resulting now in the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).
“I congratulate you all, and thank you for your contributions to the difficult, yet necessary task of nation building.’’
The President, who said that the executive and legislature came into office at a time of significant challenges for the country stressed: “we cannot allow ourselves to be distracted from this objective, or waver in our commitment, and I am confident that together we will triumph in our present efforts.
“Overcoming these challenges require that we finally confront long ignored questions of economics, politics, law and history that are often at the root of our national problems.
“This moment in history requires us to make hard choices, take difficult decisions and act with diligence and patriotism to ensure that our country can survive and thrive long after we have all left.
“What this means in effect is that our jobs will not get any easier. However, the objectives we seek, and will work together to achieve, deserve our best efforts regardless the sacrifice,’’ he said.
As the second legislative year of the 9th Assembly has just come to an end, the President noted that it was appropriate to jointly review shared commitments, to identify what has been achieved, and what is still left undone.
“This way, we can prioritise activities and allocate the resources necessary to ensure that in the lifetime of this Assembly, and of the administration, we can complete the work we have started, and leave behind a record of achievement that will stand all of us in good stead in the assessment of history,’’ he said.
The President said he looked forward to continued collaboration and partnership between the Executive and Legislative arms of government, working together to achieve a shared vision of a peaceful and prosperous country.
