Senate to Pass Critical Bills Before New Legislative Year

THE Senate Leader, Chief Victor Ndoma-Egba, has given the assurance that despite the busy period of electioneering for 2015, all critical bills in the Senate will be passed before the end of their tenure.

Chatting with some newsmen in Calabar yesterday, he said: "I want to assure Nigerians that the very critical bills will be passed. The budget, PIB and few others will be passed. We will prioritised the bills and those that are low hanging we will ensure that we plug them. But there is no parliament in the world that can pass every bill in the system. We will definitely take those bills that are readily impactful on the society and the economy.

On Bakassi issue, he said factually that Bakassi is longer in Nigeria but constitutionally; it is still part of our constitution. So, the issue has not been completely resolved in Nigeria.

Commenting on the East-West road as it affects Cross River, he said: "The road will now terminate in Calabar. The initial plan was for it to terminate in Akwa Ibom, but its extension to Calabar has been approved and I strongly believe the Akwa Ibom-Calabar section of the road will probably be finished before the rest of the road.

Commenting on the issue of sharing senatorial positions in Central Senatorial District on the basis of Federal Constituencies, Ndoma-Egba said political positions are not shared like that, saying: "I have been around long enough to know the Cross River political thinking and don't forget that I have served as a boy to very prominent politicians, I worked with Chief Akoi Arikpo, Dr. Joseph Wayas and Chief I. I. Murphy. When it comes to sharing senatorial district, it has always been old Ikom and old Obubra.

"I have never heard it that a senatorial position is shared on federal constituencies. It will be political comical to share a senatorial sit on the basis of the federal constituency. At what point did we stop the sharing arrangement with old Ikom and old Obubra. My colleague (Owan-Enoh) comes from Etung, which is old Obubra. So, if they are being honest about this new arrangement, I am the leader of the Senate and I don't recall in any meeting where decisions were taken to review or revive the old sharing formula. I am not aware of any such meeting. And if there was such a meeting, who was in attendance and when was that decision taken? So, for me it is just a convenience argument, it does not make sense."

He re-emphasised that his relationship with the state governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, was cordial, saying: "If I want to do things, I make sure that all the processes are followed. I went to him, he didn't oppose it, he said it makes sense. Forget the speculations you hear outside. Has the governor ever openly said he is opposed to me? He has never said it, it is just speculation."