The Senate approves 25 bills in one year

The Senate approved 25 of the 447 bills presented in its plenary session during the last year.

The Senate leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, who made the disclosure in Abuja on Thursday, also claimed that the upper house adopted 115 resolutions.

The tenth Senate was inaugurated on June 13, 2023.

Bamidele said the 25 fully passed bills, comparatively, represented 5.24 percent of all bills tabled within the deadline.

According to him, apart from the 25 laws already approved, no less than 275 bills (57.65 percent) were read for the first time within the planned period.

“About 135 (28.32 percent) waiting for first reading; 45 (9.43 percent) awaiting second reading; 43 (9.02 percent) are currently at the committee stage and three bills (0.63 percent) were rejected for different reasons.”

It 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 members’ bills.

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“Apart from the bills, the Senate reached 115 resolutions, which are consequently far-reaching; profound in their importance for our economic development and strategic for 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 carried out,” he said.

According to him, the Senate also received and processed petitions from the public on various matters of grave concern within the deadline.

“Despite time constraints, 50 of the public petitions were successfully and satisfactorily resolved.

”The Senate also selected and confirmed 215 candidates 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 laws of the National Assembly.

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

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

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

“Threatened national security and internal cohesion were seriously in need of fresh air.

“The first year has already passed and we have decisively addressed issues of national strategic interest with the highest priority,” he stated.

(YAYA)