NASS won’t tolerate negative attitude from Buhari’s appointees — Lawan

TRACKING ____AFTER a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Thursday, Senate President Ahmad Lawan warned that he National Assembly would not tolerate negative behaviour from appointees of the president, as such behaviours are capable of jeopardising the harmonious relationship between the legislature and the executive arms of government.

Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, also attended by speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, Senator Lawan said the president has made deliberate effort to ensure good relations between the two arms, which he said must be sustained.

The National Assembly had recently been involved in a confrontation with the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, over the implementation of the 774,000 job initiative of the Federal Government. The Senate President said: “If you are an appointee of the president, you are supposed to be reflective of the attitude of the president towards the National Assembly and the National Assembly will continue to support Mr President, but the National Assembly will take exception to any attitude or disposition that is not in support of the harmony in the relationship between the two arms of government.”

When asked whether they raised Keyamo’s issue with the president during the meeting, Lawan said: “I think the relationship between this National Assembly and the executive arm of government, particularly Mr President, is beyond one employee of the president.” Asked specifically if he believes that Thursday’s meeting would lead to a change of attitude by some ministers toward the National Assembly, he responded: “I don’t know what you mean by that, but let me say that this National Assembly has been very supportive, very friendly with the executive arm of government and there’s no doubt in my mind that the president has been quite supportive of the legislature as well.

“You will recall that in the processing of the budget las year, Mr President made a very categorical statement that no minister at that time should travel out of Nigeria without going to the National Assembly to defend his or her budget.

“That had never been done before and that was in support of the legislature.”