By Rotimi Akinwumi / Abuja
Lawmakers across the country have been told to be mindful of actions that can bring them into conflict with the laws of the land.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, who gave the advice on Monday, told them that it will be erroneous for them to think they are above the law.
He, therefore, charged the lawmakers to always subject themselves to the rule of law in carrying out their legislative functions.
He also challenged the legislature to enforce accountability on public office holders in Nigeria through effective oversight and investigative hearings to facilitate rapid development of the country’s democracy.
The Speaker gave the charge in his keynote address at the opening session of a two-day workshop organised by the Joint Committee of Rules and Business of the Senate and the House, in collaboration with the National Institute for Legislative Studies and Democratic Governance for Development Projects (DGDP) at the Sheraton Hotel, Abuja.
The Speaker also represented the Senate President, David Mark, in declaring the event open.
He explained that while the law protects the lawmakers over comments made on the floor of the House, such immunity did not cover any illegality committed by a legislator, stressing that parliamentarians are bound by their position to abide by the law.
"You will find also as you discuss the privileges and immunity of legislators that while the law protects the parliamentarian over comments made on the floor of
the House, that privilege does not extend to any illegality perpetrated by a legislator.
"In other words, being a parliamentarian does not place you above the law. Indeed, it imposes on you a responsibility to abide by the law at all times," he said.
Commending organisers of the programme, Tambuwal, who observed that there is always a gulf between theory and practice in political issues, expressed optimism that the workshop would improve the knowledge of the participants on the workings of the parliament and democracy.
"Sometimes, especially in political matters, you will find that practice can be so different from theory. This particular workshop seems to cover practically all areas of legislative practice.
"By the end of the day, participants will no doubt improve their knowledge of the whole system of parliamentary democracy.
"The discussion on the Bill Process will hopefully throw more light on the complexities involved in passing any law in a bicameral legislature.
"Most of the work is actually done by committees and we try as much as possible to involve the public in the lawmaking process.
"We believe fervently that democracy can only grow when people choose to participate and influence the process for the collective good," Tambuwal noted.
The Speaker added that the workshop would also enlighten the participants on the legislative/executive relations, stating that separation of power does not mean that the three arms of government work exclusively.
He insisted, however, that the legislature has a responsibility to provide checks and balances as provided by the Constitution, saying that the lawmakers would be breaking the law if they failed to carry out their statutory functions.
"Separation of powers does not mean that the three arms of government work exclusive of one another. That would in fact defeat the very essence of our mandate, which is to work together in raising the standards of living of our people.
"However, the legislature has a duty to provide certain checks and balances that are set down by the Constitution.
"We will therefore be breaking the law if we do not perform these tasks, which are our oversight functions.
"Public Hearings or Investigative Hearings are therefore merely the continuation of our constitutionally specified duties and we perform these duties with no other desire than to correct lapses in the system that have become inimical to public good," he said.
