Senate resumes plenary session for 2020, praises self for working very hard

The Nigerian Senate has just resumed for the year after returning from a Christmas and New Year recess, that lasted well over a month.

The first thing it did was to read confirmation letters for key appointees nominated by the President.

Conducting an outlook of the previous year, the Senate reeled out a list of their achievements.

Senate President, Ahmed Lawan who took out time to list the Chambers achievements, said the Senate worked very hard from June 2019, when they were inaugurated, to December 2019, when they closed to go on the annual recess.

Part of the hard work involved the passage of the crucial amendment bill on the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin, Production Sharing Contract Act, 1993; the 2020-2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP); the Finance Bill, which comprised of seven very strategic veritable bills that will give effects to better and more effective and efficient revenue generation and collections for government.

Listing other achievements, the outspoken Lawan opined, “The passage of the 2020 Appropriation Bill within two months, in December 2019, thereby, effectively returning the Federal Government Annual Budget cycle to January to December; the passage of the Public Procurement Act 2007, amendment bill, to address the challenges of avoidable delays and unnecessary cumbersome procurement processes and procedures and the passage of the 2020 Appropriation of the Federal Capital Territory, also being the first to be passed before the end of the year in a very long time."

The Senate also mourned the loss of Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu who was a great loss to the Senate.

"Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu was a great loss to this Senate. Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu was a consummate and accomplished legislator, who lived and died working for his constituents," Lawan eulogised the late Senator.