“President Goodluck Jonathan has, however, put in place a lot of policies that would bring about an improvement in the country’s power situation.
“For instance, the government has provided over N2 billion for the Gas Revolution Project.
“This is expected to dovetail with the power sector reforms. From this year upward, Nigerians will see a revolution in terms of economic growth; in terms of infrastructural development,’’ she said.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, in his goodwill message during Nigeria’s 54th independence anniversary celebration, reaffirmed the commitment of the House to upholding the ideals of a united Nigeria.
He pledged that the House of Representatives would ensure that Nigeria took its rightful place in the comity of nations.
Assessing the performance of the seventh National Assembly, Rep. Jones Onyereri (PDP-Imo) said that the legislature, in its deliberations, endeavoured to safeguard the national interest.
“This tells you in effect that any law that is made in the two chambers reflects the correct opinion of the people.
“The opposition is there to make input, the majority is there to make input and consequently, there is a balance of opinion,’’ he said.
Onyereri stressed that the series of thorough debates in the floor of the House were in the best interest of the country, as they were aimed at delivering the dividends of democracy to the citizens.
He, however, commended the Federal Government’s efforts to provide good governance in the country.
He stressed that democracy was the best form of government for any country which wanted to experience a rapid development.
Another member of the House of Representatives, Rep. Peter Akpatason (Edo-APC), called on Nigerians to have a sober reflection on the state of the nation after 54 years of nationhood.
He underscored the need for all Nigerians to make collective efforts to tackle the menace of insurgency and other challenges confronting the country.
“After the civil war, we have remained one indivisible country until recently when insurgency seems to undermine that status,’’ he said, adding: “It is a major challenge that we need to look at.’’
Akpatason said that unemployment and blatant abuse of democratic principles were some of the major factors threatening the country’s unity.
“The level of unemployment has become so high that some individuals don’t see any reason to be patriotic anymore,’’ he added.
The lawmaker, however, urged Nigerians to reflect on the gains and losses that were so far recorded in efforts of the federal, state and local governments to provide social services.
Akpatason stressed the need for Nigerians to take advantage of the recommendations of the recently-concluded national conference in plans to move the country forward. [eap_ad_1] Nevertheless, Mrs Fatima Oche, a 54-year-old civil servant whose birthday coincides with Nigeria’s Independence Day, urged all legislators at the national and state levels to make laws that were beneficial to the citizens.
She said that the country required laws that were designed to promote good governance and people’s safety.
“The government’s primary function is to provide sustainable security for its citizens. This is because without security there can be no meaningful development.
“There is need for youth employment too, as many graduates from various institutions are now moving around without jobs,’’ she said.
Besides, Oche underscored the need to improve the country’s educational policies so as to guarantee an enduring education system.
“This is because frequent changes of policies had destabilised the academic system,’’ Oche said.
All in all, political scientists underscore the need for all the legislatures in Nigeria to make purposeful laws that would foster the country’s development in a pragmatic and more coordinated manner. (NANFeatures)
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