President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday held a closed door meeting with the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja. The meeting was centred on national issues that happened while the president was on medical hiatus in London.
The meeting which lasted over 40 minutes discussed many issues including the budget, ambassadorial nominees, Niger Delta, Eurobond, and appointment of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen, whose nomination and confirmation took place in his absence.
Addressing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Saraki said “After being away for a while it’s good for us to meet and generally review things that were done in his absence, so it’s normal consultation.”
Asked to assess the President’s health being a medical doctor, Saraki said “I came here to discuss the issues regarding the activities in the National Assembly in his absence, the president met with us and I think we were there for over 40 minutes. I was not talking to myself, so you know he was responding and we were engaging and he engaged us very well.”
“We discussed issues of national interests so we are happy to see him back and he is back at the office and he is doing his work.”
On what Nigerians should expect since the President has sent letter of his resumption, he said “Well, the budget is ongoing, things that we passed in his absence, the issue of the CJN, the Eurobond, just general issues that are pending, the issue of the ambassadorial nominees that is due, the stability in the Niger Delta a whole range of issues were covered in the short period of time.”
He said that the National Assembly is still working hard to pass the 2017 Budget this month. “We are working on it and our target is still this month and we are working every hard to ensure we meet that deadline,” he said
Speaker Dogara on his part on emphasize the synergy and cooperation between the executive and the legislature, he said “I have always said this even before Mr. President that in the other climes it is us always the province of the legislature to fight the executive, we fight on issues bothering on national interests but we expect to cooperate more than we fight in the interest of our people to ensure that there is progress, one government no division.”
“So it is in the realization of this that we will always extend the needed support to ensure that he succeeds so that our government will be rated as a successful one,” he added
