Saraki responds to letter by Obasanjo

Senate President Bukola Saraki, has responded to
a letter from former President Olusegun Obasanjo,
to him and Speaker of the House of
Representative Yakubu Dogara in which the
former president condemned the leadership of the
National Assembly for planning to buy more cars.
Saraki in his reply which was released today
January 28th, said members of the 8th Senate
are committed to good governance, transparency
and accountability and will be responsive to the
current economic realities of the country. Read
full text of his response after the cut...
Yesterday, I acknowledged that I received a
letter from former President Olusegun
Obasanjo in which he called the attention of
the National Assembly to some issues.
I will want to assure President Obasanjo
that the leadership and membership of the
8th Senate are committed to good
governance, transparency, accountability,
due process and responsiveness to the
economic reality of our nation. It is for this
reason that the legislative chamber has
introduced bold and progressive reforms in
the management of the finances of the
National Assembly.
This is of even greater importance during a
tough fiscal period for our country. Like i
said during my closing address at the
plenary after our debate on the 2016
Budget, the Senate must lead by example
in terms of our own funding, budgets and
accountability – showing, beyond doubt,
value for money. I have canvassed that we
must lay bare the budget of the Senate,
nay the National Assembly and its affiliated
institutions.
I equally canvassed the need to strengthen
the capacity of the legislative institution to
carry our effective oversight of the
executive arm so that we can ensure the
budget leads to the realization of the policy
objectives of the Buhari Administration.
Again, let me reiterate my position in the
speech I made this morning on the need for
us to work towards blocking all areas of
revenue leakages while also strengthening
the anti-corruption agencies so that the
little resources that are now available will
serve the interest of the overwhelming
majority.
As a former President and a father of the
nation that we all hold in high esteem , I
intend to reply the letter and outline the
actions the Senate is taking to address his
concerns.
In conclusion, I appreciate President
Obasanjo for his consistent role in always
reminding those of us in government about
our responsibilities to the general public
and offering timely advise where necessary.



Signed
Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki