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New Page 14
Labour bill didn’t follow due
process
Sen. Farouk Bello (Kebbi Central) is
deputy chairman, Senate Committee on Banking. He is leading other senators
against Senate leadership over the labour bill recently passed into law by the
Upper Chamber. He spoke with Senate Correspondent COSMAS EKPUNOBI on
their grouse. Excerpts:
The Senate had
recently suspended its plenary session to enable the senators exercise oversight
function on the executive. How far has your committee (Banking) gone on this?
I just came back from oversight function
on the state of our industries. This took us round some of the projects the
banks are currently executing in the country which are intended to galvanise the
industrial sector. I have another oversight function to do in the gas sector
early this week. My committee on banking will next month conduct similar
exercise with many other committees of the senate.
What are your findings so far, especially
in terms of compliance with the 2004 budget?
The institutions we have visited so far, I
think, they are going on well, the budget is being implemented as approved by
the National Assembly, and I believe, this goes to confirm the promise the
president made at the time of presenting this year’s Appropriation Bill, that he
will ensure that this time around, the budget is implemented as approved. And
what we have seen so far is encouraging.
The proposed N25 billion capital base for
commercial banks has continued to generate ripples, some banking chieftains
appear to be very uncomfortable with this, what is your advice?
Well, I don’t think it is the right thing
to say that the banking chieftains are uncomfortable with this. In actual fact,
the banks are highly encouraged, and they welcome the proposal made by the
Senate Committee on Banking, as regards the categorization of banks, which
means, that capital base should be in accordance with the size of the bank, in
terms of small, medium and large banks. The bill to this effect has passed first
and second reading, and the next phase is to conduct public hearing on the bill,
so that we take inputs from all the stakeholders. This is to ensure that at the
end of the day, we would come out with a bill that is truly reflective of the
yearnings and aspirations of our people.
Before now, what is your thinking about
the banking sector?
I will say without mincing words that the
banking industry has been one of the most vibrant sector, and I believe this has
to do with the reforms in the sector in 1990s which saw the emergence of smaller
banks that were granted operational licence, to compete with the big banks, like
the First Bank, Union Bank, among others, and we saw the provision of various
banking products, and enhancement in the service delivery efficiency. You will
agree with me that among these banks that were licensed in 1990 were the Zenith
Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, and Standard Trust Bank, among others. Some of them
are in the big league of banks in Nigeria today.
This further confirms my position that, we
should have a law that will allow everybody to exist, whether small or big, such
that one day, that small man would be the biggest man, if given the opportunity
to exist and that big man if it is inefficiently run, can take the back bench.
So far, the law is on course. The only fear that I have is that Nigerians are
gradually getting disenchanted, discouraged and disappointed with the lawmakers
such that whenever anything comes out from the government, it is seen as
scripture from God, and therefore, nobody can challenge them, and since the
National Assembly has been unable to challenge major government policies in the
past, perhaps this is another policy too, that the banks would think they are
wasting their time going together with the National Assembly and that at the end
of the day ,it is the government’s decision that will prevail, and because of
that fear they are reluctant to give the necessary cooperation that we need at
the National Assembly to ensure the passage of this law, and outside that fear
they welcomed the proposed law.
They want the bill to be passed, but they
are only skeptical whether at the end of the day the bill will be passed to
reflect their opinion.
You are one of the few senators who raised
strong objection on the Trade Union Act amendment bill. What is really your
grouse?
My grouse is that, let there be nothing
like senators and ‘house boys inside’ the Senate. I believe that all of us must
have been elected by our people to represent them here. Therefore, a situation
in which some senators think that they are more equal than others, and that they
could sit down and pass a law for this country, to say the least is criminal.
Each person (senator) should be involved. Now for a bill (the trade union act
amendment bill) that is of such importance, for a bill that is that
controversial, that touches on the lives of millions of Nigerians (workers), I
believe should be given the widest consultations and debate, such that, most
Nigerians would see how transparent we are to allow quality contributions to the
debate. Somebody said we had 36 senators inside the chamber that day. Therefore,
the senate could only muster a quorum to pass the bill for a law of such
importance. In fact, if I were a leader of that forum, I would want not less
than 70 senators to be present, such that Nigerians can attest to the
transparency in the process, that there were 70 people (senators) and these 70
senators said yes to the law, then Nigerians would now see me as a strong leader
and indeed, a transparent one, but a situation in which you go through the back
door, perhaps yourself and a few of your cronies and then sit down and pass a
bill, I don’t think other senators will feel happy, so that is my position and I
believe we (Senate) could have done better than this and let us come out and
tell Nigerians that we were not part, to that "kangaroo session" (passage of the
trade union act amendment bill).
Interestingly, none of the senators except
Senator Chukwumerije raised objection to the passage of the bill that day, were
you present at the chamber that day, and if yes, why didn’t you state this
position on the floor of the Senate rather than now?
I was out of Abuja on oversight function
that day, but all I remembered that happened that day was that several senators
made attempts to be recognised but they were not. Some senators tried to
contribute to show their position on the bill, but were not allowed, and this
negates the principles of democracy. So, I believe that for such a bill that is
talking about democratization of labour, due process which is a major element of
democracy ought to have been followed and if democracy was not upheld in the
debate of a bill that is intended to democratize an institution, what kind of
democracy are you trying to bring in here.
You threatened to mobilise other senators
of like mind to drag the Senate to court to challenge the passage of the bill...
I just feel very concerned that we must do
whatever it takes to ensure that the bill does not see the light of the day, so
that we can convince Nigerians that really majority of the senators are against
what has been done, and there would be a way. We should be able to stop this
bill from becoming the law of the land. That’s one way we can assure Nigerians
that the legislators can do things in the best interest of Nigerians, or else we
will confirm their fears that we are here to endorse every government policy
against the wish of majority.
You also said in a statement recently that
you may consider possible impeachment of the Senate leadership, has the passage
of the bill anything to do with the leadership style?
Definitely yes. As I said earlier, we
elected the leadership and the leadership here does not mean just the Senate but
the Senate President, his deputy and indeed, all the principal officers of the
Senate. We sat down and elected them, and now if they come and do the opposite
of what we elected them to do, we have the right to bring in those senators whom
we feel can do exactly what the senators want, and not what they want as
individuals. It is only when they appreciate the fact that we are first, and
foremost, senators as equal as every other senator before we talk about
leadership. But if they consider themselves as leaders first and then go ahead
to do whatever they think they can, rather than what the electorate think they
should do, things won’t work well and this democracy will suffer.
The prospect of effecting a change of
guard in the senate may not be an easy one, how are you pushing for this?
Again, with a strong will, I believe it
could be done, but there has to be a starting point. If all of us just fold our
arms and allow wonders to happen, I don’t think that the wonder would ever
happen, let it be that it is Senator Farouk Bello that first mentioned it and
subsequently there are two, or three people who joined me and then subsequently
those other people (senators) and then, more than 70 senators, and at the end of
the day if it is done, it is in the interest of this country. If it is not done,
Senator Farouk has attempted, and let it go on record that I have come down to
condemn an action that was not done in the interest of Nigerians.
Are you saying that the current Senate
leadership has failed?
We are talking about labour bill. Mark my
word, as far as that labour bill is concerned, the leadership of the senate did
not act in the best interest of the majority of senators, and so that is why we
are against the passage of the trade union bill.
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