From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:NIGERIA: NEW NATIONAL ASSEMBLY STARTS BUSINESS
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 02:56:57 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Reference: Trade & Finance
Title: NIGERIA: NEW NATIONAL ASSEMBLY STARTS BUSINESS


an inter press service feature

by remi oyo

abuja, nigeria, dec 7 (ips) -- when nigeria's popularly elected
national assembly got down to business here monday, the west
african nation had set its own pace for returning to civilian
rule next year.

the 593 members of the house of representatives and 91
senators will carry out, albeit partially, the duty for which
they were elected --law making.

but the lawmakers, sworn in saturday by military president
ibrahim babangida, must first set out their own agenda. before
the house are 85 draft standing rules which will govern its
work.

this is in addition to the continuation of a series of
elections of principal officers which also began at the weekend.

up for grabs were the posts of majority and minority leaders
and their deputies as well as chairpersons of the house
committees.

sociologist and university lecturer, iyorchia ayu, 46, now
presides over the senate while lawyer agunwa anakwe leads the
house of representatives.

however, the task of lawmaking for the nation's 88.5 million
people will not begin until jan. 2 when the armed forces ruling
council, currently the highest lawmaking body in the country,
will be dissolved.

but none of the lawmakers is in doubt of what is expected of
them during the next eight months when the military will still
be at the helm of affairs.

babangida, set the tone for the legislatures when he
administered the taking of oaths here at the weekend.

''i assure you that this unique constitutional engineering
has been designed and structured here in nigeria, for nigerians,
taking cognizance of the unique position and circumstances in
which we have found ourselves'', the president said.

this means during the transition period, the national
assembly will not be the supreme ruling body in nigeria as
expected. (more/ips)


nigeria: new (2)

instead, the assembly's bills will need the approval of the
national security and defence council before the president's
assent.

although babangida maintained that there would be federal
support, he asked the house members to resist ''any effort to
change the leadership of the country through means other than

the legislators have in turn reacted to babangida's address
as well as the work of the assembly itself.

senate president ayu hopes the refusal of the council or the
president to sign a law will not arise.

''our nation is going through very difficult times,
economically and politically'', he said in his acceptance
speech. ''what really matters is whether than nation can develop
the capacity to overcome these difficulties''.

house of representatives speaker anakwe was convinced that
the power sharing arrangement or diarchy would work.

''i do not believe in unnecessary theorising but i believe in
what's on the ground -- the ability to use reality for the
benefit of everyone'', he said.

for senator david iornem, former national publicity secretary
of the social democratic party (sdp), the inauguration of the
assembly has brought relief.

''it will reduce the tension that i know exists in the
country'', he said. his remark, according to analysts, was
representative of the general public opinion around nigeria.

but babangida blames the tension on fears invoked on the
psyche of the people by unnamed leaders. he spoke in contempt of
his critics since his nov. 17 postponement of a return to
democracy.

in obvious reference to recent scathing criticisms by
nigeria's former military leader, olusegun obasanjo (1976-79),
the president said: ''leaders who cry fire and brimstone fail
the elementary test of leadership''.

leaders must rise to challenges posed by societal problems,
he added, but ''not through alarmist pronouncements and divisive
and instigatory initiatives''.

obasanjo, recently appointed u.n. adviser on africa, had
early november urged the seven-year-old military government of
babangida to hand over power to a civilian government as earlier
scheduled on jan. 2, 1993. (end/ips/ro/ar/92)