BOKISSONTHRONE: President Buhari Urges NASS to Pass Money Laundering Bill, FCT & NDDC Budgets, Others + Photos From His Dinner With the Legislature

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

President Buhari Urges NASS to Pass Money Laundering Bill, FCT & NDDC Budgets, Others + Photos From His Dinner With the Legislature

President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to members of the National Assembly for “accelerated consideration and passage” of the bills the executive sent to it

The President said this at a dinner with members of the National Assembly on Monday held at the State House Conference Centre.

President Buhari said:

Let me again appreciate the work of the National Assembly for the painstaking and consensual work they did with the Executive to deliver the 2016 Appropriation Act. It is on record that this is one rare occasion where the Appropriation Act was Assented to with the schedule i.e. the details. This is a good start in our journey of CHANGE.

I seize this opportunity to please draw attention to the under listed Bills which have been Submitted to the National Assembly and appeal for accelerated consideration and passage, namely:

Bills for Acts for domestication of agreements for avoidance of double taxation between Nigeria and South Korea, Spain and Sweden respectively.

Federal Capital Territory Appropriation Bill, 2016.

Money Laundering (Prevention & Prohibition) Bill 2016.

Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill, 2016.

Statutory Budget of the Niger Delta Development Commission, 2016.

I am conscious that on June 9, 2016, the National Assembly will complete one Legislative year. May I appeal to you to consider and pass these submitted Bills, particularly the Statutory Budget of the Federal Capital Territory, the Niger Delta Development Commission Budget and the budget of Statutory Corporations. These bodies cannot execute their Statutory mandate nor incur expenditure for the year unless their budgets are approved by the National Assembly.

I hereby restate the commitment of this administration to observe the principles of Separation of Powers which defines and delineates the functions and powers of each arm of Government. Thus far we in the executive have restricted ourselves to our Constitutional roles.

Therefore I, as the President, and we as the Executive arm of Government will not interfere in the functions, functioning and process of the Legislature nor the Judiciary. In the same vein, I urge other arms of Government to please appraise and ensure that each action conceived and taken by it is in strict accord with its constitutionally limited powers.

I urge you as Legislators and the Legislature to take out time and communicate with your constituents and other Nigerians the policies of the Government which are based on Laws approved by the National Assembly.
I look forward to your one Legislative year on the 9th of June 2016. I send the same greetings to members of all the State Houses of Assembly in the country for completing the first Legislative year as we look forward to more active and engaging partnership.

Dinner which was also attended by All Progressive Congress (APC)’s National leader, Bola Tinubu, Former vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and APC National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun.