BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan has urged members of the public who have access to the media to help democracy to prosper in Nigeria by saying the truth.
Lawan, who made the appeal in his keynote address at the Conference of Presiding Officers of the Nigerian Legislature which began in Abuja late Friday, said that while he welcomes criticisms, he however want people with access to the media to tell the true story, inform correctly and publicise rightly.
The Senate President spoke against the backdrop of attack on Federal lawmakers and misinformation that followed the recent leakage of the roof of the National Assembly complex.
Lawan particularly said that it was unfair to assume that the N37 billion that was initially budgeted for the rehabilitation of the National Assembly complex that was later slashed to N9.2 billion had been embezzled by members of the National Assembly when the money was actually domiciled in the Federal Capital Territory budget.
According to him; “This is one demonstration and testimony of misperception of the legislature. As I speak, this is still going through the procurement process.
“But you know what, when there was leakage, some of these critics and haters and traducers of the National Assembly said the National Assembly had spent the money. They have finished the rehabilitation. Look at what is happening. They didn’t even care to find out what really happened. So they went to town.
“Without this legislature, there is no democracy. The National Assembly and legislature across the country are people’s institutions. Not members of the National Assembly’s institution or State Assembly members’ institution. It’s the public. It’s the people,” h said.
Lawan also advised the outspoken members of the public to give credit to the legislature when there are evidences of good performance, saying; “When it comes to given the National Assembly or the legislature credit, those who have access to media are either too economical with their ratings or even too blind to see very good performances by the National Assembly and the legislature across the country.
“This is one National Assembly that has broken so many jinxes. Last year, when we had to pass an amendment on the Deep Offshore Production Sharing Contract Act, Nigeria was earning only 216 million dollars before the amendment.
“With that singular amendment, Nigeria will earn two billion dollars. And that is something that could have been done twenty years ago but each time it came to the National Assembly, something happened.
“It is only in this ninth National Assembly that we defeated the demons last year and we defeated them yesterday (Thursday). These demons are people but majority of Nigerians who are not hard are happy with what their legislatures across the country are doing,” Lawan said.
