SENATE President Abubakar Bukola Saraki said yesterday his focus since he assumed office as the presiding officer of the eighth Senate has been to build an efficient legislature that directly impacts the lives of Nigerians.
Saraki, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, noted that the role of the legislature in a young democracy like Nigeria is often misconstrued.
He said it was necessary for the National Assembly to work towards positively influencing the lives of Nigerians through its powers of lawmaking, oversight and advocacy.
The statement said: “The President of the Senate is just first amongst equals. However, what always motivates me is that drive to leave this institution better than we met it. I always like to leave a place stronger than I met it, and more capable to deliver on its constitutional role and functions than how it was before I got there.
“The difference between democracy and dictatorship is parliament. This is why I tell people that it is not about who the Senate President, the President, or the Chief Justice of Nigeria is, we must always work to strengthen all our institutions.
“For example, in four years, I’m gone. Somebody else will be there, but the institution will always remain. If you have weak parliament that is not effectively able to champion the needs of the people, you will have a weak democracy. However, because of myopic interest at times, some people do not see why we must protect the mandates and integrity of these institutions.”
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