By; PATRICK TITUS, Uyo
The Senior Special Assistant to President Mohammedu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Ita Enang has expressed displeasure over the performances of lawmakers in Nigeria, and described them as bunch of disappointment to the people.
Enang stated this on Thursday during a Media Roundtable organised by members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Akwa Ibom State Council as part of the activities to mark the Chapel Week in Uyo.
Speaking on the topic, “Assessing the Performance of Akwa Ibom Legislators at the State and National levels” Sen Enang said that the lawmakers have become stooges in the hands of Executives for personal gains.
According to him who was a guest on the occasion said, the present Legislators in States and National Assemblies have indulged themselves in arbitrary approvals of Suplimentary Budgets to the Executives without rendering corresponding account of the initial budget.
Recalling when he was a lawmakers in Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Enang maintained that he led the Assembly to oppose Executive Bills that was against the interest of the people.
“It was only the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly in 1992 When Obong Akpan Isemin was the Governor that was able to override a Bill from the Governor in the entire Federation”
“We also rejected the Supplementary Budgets Bill of N200m sent to the Assembly by the Governor as such expenditure was against the interest of the state.
“We stopped the Governor from selling a sound proof giant size generator that belonged to the state owned Brewery – Champion Breweries by mobilizing all members of the Assembly and intercepted the generator along Calabar Itu road and the plot failed,” he recalled.
He said when the National Assembly through the leadership of late Chuba Okadigbo passed the Bill to establish Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) into law and President Olusegun Obasanjo refused to sign it into law, he mobilised members to accent to the Bill.
“As the Chairman of Rules and Ethics in the National Assembly, I canvassed for members to sign the NDDC Bill into law when former President Olusegun Obasanjo refused to accent to the Bill,” he added.
Enang therefore, charged lawmakers to be proactive in their responsibilities as the present crop of lawmakers are not representing the people but their personal interest, thus becoming weak in their responsibilities as lawmakers.
