Female lawmakers lead as senators sponsored 753 bills in 2 yrs

Two female senators, Stella Oduah and Uche Lilian Ekwunife, both from Anambra State, are among the top sponsors of bills in the Senate. This is just as some ranking lawmakers and former governors have not sponsored any bill.

The Ninth Senate was inaugurated on June 11, 2019. Since then, 753 bills have been introduced, out of which 60 have been passed.

The Red Chamber also passed more than 350 bills for the first reading; over 170 have gone through the second reading and have been referred to the relevant committees for further legislative business, while 11 bills referred by the House of Representatives for concurrence have also been passed.

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Daily Trust Saturday reports that no fewer than 50 out of the 60 bills so far passed by the 9th Senate are awaiting either the presidential assent or the House of Representatives’ concurrence.

Top sponsors

The primary functions of a legislator include making laws on issues of public interest; representing the interest of citizens, and oversight of government ministries, departments and agencies.

Section 4, subsection (2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, empowers the National Assembly to make laws for the peace, order and good governance of the federation or any part thereof, with respect to any matter included in the Exclusive Legislative List.”

Senator Stella Oduah (PDP, Anambra) topped the chart with 36 bills to her credit. Next, is Mohammed Sani Musa (APC, Niger), who have 24 bills, closely followed by Uche Lilian Ekwunife (PDP, Anambra) with 22 bills.

Coming fourth on top of the chart are the duo of Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege and Ifeanyi Ubah (YPP, Anambra), with 20 bills each.

Michael Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti) and Uba Sani (APC, Kaduna), who sponsored 19 bills each, were followed by Istifanus Dung Gyang (PDP, Plateau) with 17 bills.

Ibikunle Amosun (APC, Ogun) and Gershom Henry Bassey (PDP, Cross River) sponsored 15 bills each, while Bima Enagi (APC, Niger) and Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano) have 13 bills each.

Ali Ndume (APC, Borno) and Ibrahim Oloriegbe (APC, Kwara), who sponsored 12 bills each, were closely followed by Olamilekan Adeola (APC, Lagos), Suleiman Sadiq Umar (APC, Kwara), Abdulfatai Buhari (APC, Oyo) and Betty Apiafy (PDP, Rivers), with 11 bills each.

Chukwuka Utazi (PDP, Enugu), Ike Ekweremadu (PDP, Enugu) and Ayo Akinyelure (PDP, Ondo) have 10 each. They were followed by Albert     Bassey Akpan (PDP, Akwa Ibom) and Aishatu   Dahiru   Binani   Ahmed (APC, Adamawa) with nine bills each.

Five senators sponsored eight bills each. They are Nicholas Tofowomo (PDP, Ondo), Yahaya Abdullahi (APC, Kebbi), Gabriel Suswam (PDP, Benue), Theodore Orji (PDP, Abia) and Patrick Abba Moro (PDP, Benue).

Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (APC, Niger), Rochas Okorocha (APC, Imo), Adetumbi Olubunmi (APC, Ekiti), Tolu Odebiyi (APC, Ogun) and Suleiman Abdu Kwari (APC, Kaduna) have seven bills each to their credit.

Others in this category are Ajibola Basiru (APC, Osun), Abdullahi Adamu (APC, Nasarawa), Kashim Shettima (APC, Borno) and Emmanuel Bwacha (PDP, Taraba).

Those with six bills are Ezenna   Francis Onyewuchi (PDP, Imo), Philip Aduda (PDP, FCT), Aliyu   Magatakarda Wamakko (APC, Sokoto), Teslim Folarin (APC, Oyo), Mpigi Barinada (PDP, Rivers), Obinna Joseph Ogba (PDP, Ebonyi), Umar Tanko Almakura (APC, Nasarawa), Oluremi Tinubu (APC, Lagos) and Mustapha Olalekan (APC, Ogun).

Senators who have sponsored five bills are Yakubu Oseni (APC, Kogi), Francis Alimikhena (APC, Edo) and Samuel Ominyi Egwu (PDP, Ebonyi).

Others with five bills each are Biodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti), Kola Balogun (PDP, Oyo), Ajayi Boroffice (APC, Ondo) and Isiaku Elijah Cliff (APC, Adamawa).

Senators Emmanuel Orker-Jev (PDP, Benue), Sahabi Yau (PDP, Zamfara), Yusuf A. Yusuf (APC, Taraba), Ibrahim Gobir (APC, Sokoto) and Ahmad Baba-Kaita (APC, Katsina) sponsored four bills each.

Others with four bills are Adelere Adeyemi Oriolowo (APC, Osun), Matthew Urhoghide (PDP, Edo), Micheal Ama Nnachi (PDP, Ebonyi) Sandy Onor (PDP, Cross River), Degi Eremienyo Biobaraku (APC, Bayelsa), Clifford Ordia (PDP, Edo) and Hassan Hadejia (APC, Jigawa).

Eleven senators who have three bills to their names are Tokunbo Abiru (APC, Lagos), Francis Fadahunsi (PDP, Osun),  Stephen Odey (PDP, Cross River), George    Sekibo (PDP, Rivers) and Dimka Hezekiah Ayuba (APC, Plateau).

Others are Kabiru Gaya (APC, Kano), Hassan Gusau (PDP, Zamfara), Yaroe Binos Dauda (PDP, Adamawa), Abubakar Kyari (APC, Borno), Smart Adeyemi (APC, Kogi), and Isah Jibrin (APC, Kogi).

Those with two bills each are Adamu Bulkachuwa (APC, Bauchi), Dauda Haliru Jika (APC, Bauchi), Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe), Saidu   Alkali   Ahmed (APC, Gombe), Amos Kilawangs Bulus (APC, Gombe), Kabir Barkiya (APC, Katsina), Mohammed Sabo Nakudu (APC, Jigawa) and Ibrahim Abdullahi Danbaba (PDP, Sokoto).

Others in this category are Isa Shuaibu Lau (PDP, Taraba), Ibrahim Alhaji Geidam (APC, Yobe), Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP, Delta), Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP, Abia), Orji Uzor    Kalu (APC, Abia), Adamu Aliero (APC, Kebbi), Bala Ibn Na’Allah (APC, Kebbi), Oyelola Yisa Ashiru (APC, Kwara) and James Manager (PDP, Delta).

Senators who have sponsored one bill each are Eyakenyi Akon Etim (PDP, Akwa Ibom), Ekpeyong Christopher (PDP, Akwa Ibom), Chimaroke Nnamani (PDP, Enugu), Danjuma La’ah (PDP, Kaduna), Godiya Akwashiki (APC, Nasarawa), Ibrahim Mohammed Bomai (APC, Yobe), Lawal Yahaya Gumau (APC, Bauchi), Bello Mandiya (APC, Katsina) and Danladi Abdulahi Sankara (APC, Jigawa).

Lawan, ex-governors, others sponsored no bill

Senate President Ahmad Lawan, two former governors, Ibrahim Shekarau (APC, Kano), Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa) and four others have not sponsored a single bill in the last two years.

Others with no bill to their credits are Lawali Hassan Anka (PDP, Zamfara), Cleopas Moses (PDP, Bayelsa), Frank Ibezim (APC Imo) and Nora Daduut (APC, Plateau).

Dickson, Moses and Daduut were inaugurated on December 15, 2020, and  Ibezim on April 27, 2021. Ibezim replaced the late Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu who died in December 2019.

Dickson and Moses took the seats of Douye Diri and Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, who were elected governor and deputy governor of Bayelsa State respectively.

Daduut replaced the late Senator Ignatius Longjan, who represented Plateau South before his demise in February 2020.

Senator Ibrahim Shekarau said he was currently working on some bills, including those on hijab and pension reform.

Shekarau, who spoke through his aide, Sule Yau Sule, said the draft of the bills would soon be ready for introduction on the floor of the Senate.

Sule, however, said aside from bill sponsorship, his principal was actively participating in other legislative activities, like plenary, committee meetings and screenings of presidential nominees.

Bills passed

Notable among the bills passed by the Senate are Deep Off-Shore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act CAP D3 LFN 2004 (Amendment Bill, 2009);  Finance Bill 2019 (Nigeria Tax and Fiscal Law) (SB.140); Companies and Allied Matters Act, Cap C20 LFN 2004 (Repeal and Reenactment) Bill 2019 (SB.270).

Others are the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) Amendment Bill, which empowers the agency to seize all assets traced to debtors; a bill that prohibits employers discriminating between first degree and Higher National Diploma (HND) holders; Firearms Act 2004 (Amendment) Bill 2021; Chartered Institute of Forensic Investigative Professionals of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill 2021, Anti-Sexual Harassment bill, among others.