Senate President, Bukola Saraki has responded to a letter written to the National Assembly leadership by former president, Olusegun Obasanjo accusing the legislators of insensitivity over a plan to buy 469 cars despite the economic situation in the country.
Saraki’s response was contained in a statement released by his media office today, January 28, 2016.
It reads:
Yesterday,
I acknowledged that I received a letter from former President Olusegun
Obasanjo in which he called the attention of the National Assembly to
some issues.
I will want to assure President
Obasanjo that the leadership and membership of the 8th Senate are
committed to good governance, transparency, accountability, due process
and responsiveness to the economic reality of our nation. It is for this
reason that the legislative chamber has introduced bold and progressive
reforms in the management of the finances of the National Assembly.
This
is of even greater importance during a tough fiscal period for our
country. Like I said during my closing address at the plenary after our
debate on the 2016 Budget, the Senate must lead by example in terms of
our own funding, budgets and accountability – showing, beyond doubt,
value for money. I have canvassed that we must lay bare the budget of
the Senate, nay the National Assembly and its affiliated institutions.
I
equally canvassed the need to strengthen the capacity of the
legislative institution to carry our effective oversight of the
executive arm so that we can ensure the budget leads to the realization
of the policy objectives of the Buhari Administration. Again, let me
reiterate my position in the speech I made this morning on the need for
us to work towards blocking all areas of revenue leakages while also
strengthening the anti-corruption agencies so that the little resources
that are now available will serve the interest of the overwhelming
majority.
As a former president and a father of
the nation that we all hold in high esteem, I intend to reply the letter
and outline the actions the Senate is taking to address his concerns.
In
conclusion, I appreciate President Obasanjo for his consistent role in
always reminding those of us in government about our responsibilities to
the general public and offering timely advice where necessary.
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