Aso Rock: A Week-long Beehive Of Activities

Activities in the seat of power picked up this week after the previous week had passed with no meaningful activity. In what seemed like aftermath of the face-off between the executive and legislature last week, following the stepping down of confirmation of resident electoral commissioners by the Senate, the leadership of the National Assembly visited the president on Monday.
Unlike in the past when the Senate president, BukolaSaraki and speaker, House of Representatives, YakubuDogara, meet with the president at the same time, they met separately with President Buhari. The speaker met with the president first and the meeting lasted for about 30 minutes. When journalists approached him for an interview on the frosty relationship between the legislature and executive, he said it was mere figment of people’s imagination.
“You might look at it as crisis but I don’t look at it as crisis. You know I have always said this that as a government our value will be the problems we have solved. We can’t be remembered for avoiding or running away from problems. It is only when‎ we provide solutions to some of the things you refer to as crisis and we look at it as opportunities that people will now remember us for putting down enduring legacies. But when we run away from every thing that appears to be trouble, we will not make it,” he said.
Few minutes later, it was the turn of the Senate president to talk to the press. Saraki who was in a jovial mood answered all the questions asked him. On the frosty relationship he said, “It is cordial. You cannot examine it based on NDDC, based on EFCC; we have other issues. We have ministerial nominees that we are going to be working on, we have the budget that is more important, we have INEC and PIB. We have so many important things and I think it is a mixture of all that should guide us. Don’t let us overheat some of these issues.
On the committee set up by the federal government to wade into the executive – legislative feud, he said, “Good development, but like I said there will always be issues on one or two things. It doesn’t mean that is the foundation of it. When you have an arm of government that has to do with confirmation there will always be issues. For example, the NDDC Bill- we rejected three people from NDDC and we keep on moving. We are all part of one government. That is why despite all these, major decisions are still taken. Like I said we did critical amendments on INEC by Tuesday or Wednesday. For the first time in the history of the legislature, we are going to lay a report on the PIB for consideration. It has never happened; for the past 20 years it has not gotten to this stage. So, it is work in progress for the interest of Nigeria. Don’t let us get distracted by one or two infractions; it is bound to happen. Even America that we are copying today as we are watching, see what is happening in the Supreme Court. These are things that happen on the part of democracy but I can reassure Nigerians that it is just a drop in the ocean, it is not an issue that should stir the whole nation, be rest assured,”.
On Tuesday, former head of state, Yakubu Gowon, visited the president. It is worthy of note that since the president’s return from his medical vacation, Gowon is the first former head of state to visit him. He said he came to welcome back the president from his medical vacation in the UK and thanked  God for bringing him back home hale and hearty.
He also expressed appreciation to President Buhari for consoling him on the death of his sister, noting that it was a gracious act  from the president .
Gowon said, “Let me tell you the honest truth. My coming here today is to thank and welcome Mr. President back from his health issues and problems and to thank God for what He has done for him to have his health back, for him to be able to return back to work.
“The other thing also is to thank him very much indeed for ringing me from London when he was in London to commiserate with me on the death of my sister. This was really very gracious of him. I should have rang to speak to him but of course since I know that he was in hospital I could not do that”.
That same Tuesday, governor of Zamfara State, AbdulazizYari alongside the minister of Agriculture, AuduOgbeh, visited the Presidential Villa. The governor said they came to seek the president’s approval on the $4.5billion loan China offered Nigeria to fund agricultural projects in the country.
On Wednesday, the President launched the economic growth and recovery plan, where he vowed to fix the country’s ailing economy the way his administration has tackled corruption and insecurity.