………Appraise Akpabio Leadership Styles
……….Nigerians paid us to make laws for them, 10th Senate not a rubber stamp
………. Senate Stands with Labour on Minimum Wage
By Fatima Saka
The problem in this country is nepotism, discrimination, ethnicity, and religion, says the Deputy Chief Whip in the 10th Nigerian Senate, Senator Peter Onyekachi Nwebony
The senator representing Ebonyi North Senatorial District, emphasized that a true leader is who is after what you can offer and not where you come from.
Senator Peter Onyekachi Nwebony revealed this in an exclusive interview with National Assembly New Media Forum on Tuesday while appraising the leadership roles under Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio and his Deputy Senate President Sen. Barau Jibrin.
He added that in the case of the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio is not sentimental. “He’s after what you can do, not where you come from.
“That is why people like us, first-timers, we’re able to clinch the position of the leadership of the Senate. Because he believes that we can represent him, and I believe, so far so good, we’ve not let him down.”
National Anthem Bill
Speaking on the passage of the Nigerian National Anthem Bill within a week, which signifies the lawmakers as rubber stamp senate, Deputy Chief Whip, cleared the air by saying that Nigerians paid them to make law “Nigerians paid us to make laws for them.
“And we should do it with every sense of determination and seriousness. We don’t need to stagger it for one month or for two months. We are paid to do this. And we are doing it with every sense of determination. We are not rubber-stamped.
He further stressed that the law clearly provided for suppression of power. “The executive is on their lane, the parliament is on their lane, and the judiciary is on their lane. The bill, you said, will pass within two, three days.
Electric Tariff Increase
Justifying the roles the 10th Senate plays in the process of lawmaking, Senator Nwebony said in many cases the legislators have disagreed with the executive.
He stressed that when the executive brought the bill seeking to increase the electric tariff the senate disapproved the bill “We kicked against it.
“I personally described it as the height of insensitivity. The honorable minister should not think of that. Now the Nigerians are passing through hell, following the removal of the first subsidy.
“And they are talking of increasing the electricity tariff. It means that you are not sensible, you are not responsive to the earnings of the people.
As a parliament, we said no to that. If we are rubber-stamped, if we are following the dictates of the executive, we would have kept going ahead.”
Increment Of Minimum Wage
The senator representing Ebonyi North Senatorial District, said that the lawmakers are in line with the labour for an increase of the minimum wage.
“You can see what is happening now. The labor are agitating for wage increment. We are standing with the labor.
“We’ve had meetings with them. We encouraged them. Because looking at the prices of goods today in the market.
“You agree with me that it’s even triple, not double. And we are standing with the labor. That the executive should look at what the labor is saying. 62,000 Naira is not enough.
“As a person, none of my staff receives less than 100,000 Naira. I started the minimum wage long ago because I’m reasonable.”
