SAN FRANCISCO, October 28, (THEWILL) – Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Monday admonished lawmakers in the country to conduct themselves in line with the provisions of the law and avoid illegalities.
Tambuwal gave the advice in a keynote address at the opening of a two-day workshop on Legislative Practice and Procedure in Nigerian Legislatures in Abuja.
He warned his colleagues to always conduct themselves within the ambit of the law.
“You will find also as you discuss the privileges and immunity of legislators that while the law protects the parliamentarian over comments made on the floor of the House, that privilege does not extend to any illegality perpetrated by a legislator. In other words, being a parliamentarian does not place you above the law. Indeed, it imposes on you a responsibility to abide by the law at all times,” Tambuwal said.
He challenged the legislature to enforce accountability on public office holders in Nigeria through effective oversight and investigative hearings so as to facilitate rapid development of the democracy.
Tambuwal expressed optimism that the workshop would improve the knowledge of the participants on the workings of the parliament and democracy.
“Sometimes, especially in political matters, you will find that practice can be so different from theory. This particular workshop seems to cover practically all areas of legislative practice. By the end of the day, participants will no doubt improve their knowledge of the whole system of parliamentary democracy.
“The discussion on the Bill Process will hopefully throw more light on the complexities involved in passing any law in a bicameral legislature. Most of the work is actually done by committees and we try as much as possible to involve the public in the lawmaking process. We believe fervently that democracy can only grow when people choose to participate and influence the process for the collective good,” he added.
The Speaker equally urged the legislature to live to its responsibility of providing checks and balances as provided by the Constitution, saying the lawmakers would be breaking the law if they failed to carry out their statutory functions.
By Saint Mugaga, Abuja
