President’s representative commends committee NESG hail senate president for passage of Railway Bill
Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja
The Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, on Thursday advised the newly screened ambassadorial nominees to ensure they positively project the country’s image in their respective places of assignment, saying their successful screenings showed that they had already made history.
Saraki who made this remark while addressing the 47 ambassadorial nominees at the end of their screenings in the National Assembly, charged them to make the nation proud when they eventually assume duties after their postings.
“The ambassadorial nominees, as we go forward, are taking positions in the history of the country. Going forward, they will be representing our country on the global stage. We appeal to you to please make us proud, though there are challenges, I urge you to look at things differently in your service to the nation. As you know, it is in the interest of our country to have ambassadors all over, as the absence will slow down bilateral relations. I wish you all the best,” Saraki said.
Saraki also tasked the executive to without delay, send the names of non-career ambassadorial nominees to the Senate upon its resumption in September, saying “the earlier we have substantive ambassadors at our various foreign posts, the better at this critical time of repositioning the country for better.”
Meanwhile, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, yesterday commended the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs over the successful completion of the screening exercise, saying it did a thorough job.
Enang made the remark when he paid an appreciation visit to Saraki at the end of the exercise.
Enang, who described the screening exercise as the most thorough that he ever witnessed since he had been in the National Assembly, also commended the committee for its perceived dedication and commitment.
He said: “Let me use this opportunity to commend the Senate committee for the way and manner in which the screening exercise was carried out. I must say it is the most thorough and intellectual I’ve seen in my time here.
”Also, the committee has demonstrated by its decision to screen the nominees despite the Senate being on recess that it is committed and dedicated to service of our dear nation,” Enang added.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has commended Saraki for his “leadership and unflinching commitment” that led to the recent passage of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Bill by the Senate.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NESG, ‘Laoye Jaiyeola, who made the assertion in a letter of commendation to the Senate President, dated July 22, 2016, specifically appreciated the Senate for the accelerated consideration and passage of the NRC Bill.
Jaiyeola noted that the passage of the bill “marks a very significant milestone in Nigeria’s history and further demonstrates the role of our legislature in the nation’s economic development.”
He expressed hope that the bill would mark the first journey that the private sector and the legislature under the National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER) have commenced to improve Nigeria’s business environment.
The letter entitled: “Passage of the Nigerian Railway Corporation Act 1955 Repeal and Re-enactment Railway Bill, 2016” read in part: “On behalf of our partners in the National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, UK Department for International Development’s ENABLE II programme and Nigeria Bar Association’s Section on Business Law, I write to congratulate and express our deep appreciation to the Senate for successfully passing the NRC Act 1955 Repeal and Re-enactment Railway Bill, 2016.
“This definitely marks a very significant milestone in Nigeria’s history and further demonstrates the role of our legislature in the nation’s economic development. This bill provides for the procurement of private sector participation in railway services, provide for the regulation of the railway sector, promote the efficient and sustainable development and operation of the railway sector and facilitate the development of competitive markets for services in the railway sector.
“Your Excellency, we commend your leadership as well as your unflinching commitment to the entire process that led to the passage of the bill. You will recall that we presented the Final Report of the Comprehensive Review of the Institutional, Regulatory, Legislative, and Associated Instruments Affecting Business in Nigeria on February 29 this year, which listed this particular bill as one of the priority legislations.
“Thereafter, you declared the inaugural National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable event open on March 21 in the New Senate Building. We subsequently made a presentation to the public hearing on the bill and were later invited to serve in the technical committee by the Senate Committee on Land Transport to work with it in reviewing the bill. We express our immense gratitude to you for ensuring that this partnership has been sustained.
“It is indeed our expectation that the passage of this bill marks the first journey that the private sector and the legislature under NASSBER have commenced to improve Nigeria’s business environment,” it added.
