The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, on
Tuesday recanted an earlier comment that resolutions of the Senate were
merely advisory and not binding on the Executive.
Speaking while appearing before the Senate Committee on Information and Media, Mr Maku said he made the statement last week under pressure from journalists at a press conference in Abuja.
At the said press conference, the Minister had been pressed for comments on the resolutions of both arms of the National Assembly, asking President Goodluck Jonathan to drop the proposed N5000 note and conversion of N5, N10 and N20 to coins.
He responded by saying that the National Assembly could not dictate to President Jonathan.
Earlier in the day, the Senate President, David Mark at the plenary session of the upper legislative arm made some strong remarks on the Minister’s quoted response to the national assembly resolution.
According to the Senate President, “the Information Minister is just a careless talker.”
“He is extremely careless” he added.
The Senate President went further lampooning the Minister of information, saying, “he didn’t even think through what he was saying.”
“It is not in his place to tell us what the effects of our resolutions are. I think he talks very carelessly and I hope the President cautioned him.”
“Next time he does that, we (Senate) will take a resolution here of any Minister who talks carelessly that such a minister should be removed.”
Cautioning his peers on the ‘take a bow and go’ policy operated by the Senate during the screening of appointees, Mr Mark stated that “for those who usually tell the Ministers to take a bow and go, because they are very good men, I hope they are learning some hard lessons from the way they talk.”
However, while appearing before the committee, Mr Maku was confronted with the Doctrine of Necessity which was passed into resolutions by the Senate and House of Representatives in February 2010 and enabled then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan to become Acting President.
At the time, President Umaru Yar’Adua was hospitalised in Saudi Arabi, a situation which created a power vacuum as he did not hand over to Mr Jonathan before leaving Nigeria for Saudi Arabia.
The committee reminded Mr Maku that these resolutions led to Mr Jonathan ascending the office of President when Yar’Adua eventually died.
The committee also reminded Mr Maku that his emergence as minister was made possible after a resolution passed by the Senate, to which he agreed.
The minister said his comments were not meant to disparage the National Assembly and tendered an apology.
Speaking while appearing before the Senate Committee on Information and Media, Mr Maku said he made the statement last week under pressure from journalists at a press conference in Abuja.
At the said press conference, the Minister had been pressed for comments on the resolutions of both arms of the National Assembly, asking President Goodluck Jonathan to drop the proposed N5000 note and conversion of N5, N10 and N20 to coins.
He responded by saying that the National Assembly could not dictate to President Jonathan.
Earlier in the day, the Senate President, David Mark at the plenary session of the upper legislative arm made some strong remarks on the Minister’s quoted response to the national assembly resolution.
According to the Senate President, “the Information Minister is just a careless talker.”
“He is extremely careless” he added.
The Senate President went further lampooning the Minister of information, saying, “he didn’t even think through what he was saying.”
“It is not in his place to tell us what the effects of our resolutions are. I think he talks very carelessly and I hope the President cautioned him.”
“Next time he does that, we (Senate) will take a resolution here of any Minister who talks carelessly that such a minister should be removed.”
Cautioning his peers on the ‘take a bow and go’ policy operated by the Senate during the screening of appointees, Mr Mark stated that “for those who usually tell the Ministers to take a bow and go, because they are very good men, I hope they are learning some hard lessons from the way they talk.”
However, while appearing before the committee, Mr Maku was confronted with the Doctrine of Necessity which was passed into resolutions by the Senate and House of Representatives in February 2010 and enabled then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan to become Acting President.
At the time, President Umaru Yar’Adua was hospitalised in Saudi Arabi, a situation which created a power vacuum as he did not hand over to Mr Jonathan before leaving Nigeria for Saudi Arabia.
The committee reminded Mr Maku that these resolutions led to Mr Jonathan ascending the office of President when Yar’Adua eventually died.
The committee also reminded Mr Maku that his emergence as minister was made possible after a resolution passed by the Senate, to which he agreed.
The minister said his comments were not meant to disparage the National Assembly and tendered an apology.
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