Senate mourns Na’Abba at plenary

The Senate Saturday mourned a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Ghali Umar Na’Abba, who died on Wednesday in Abuja at the age of 65.

The upper chamber of the National Assembly during Saturday’s plenary observed a minute’s silence following a motion sponsored by the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, on the death of the Na’Abba.

Recall that Barau was the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations during Na’Abba’s tenure as speaker between 1999 and 2003.

Barau, in his motion, noted that the late speaker stood firm for the independence of the legislative arm of government during his tenure as speaker.

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He said, “He fought to put the necessary structures for the taking off of the House of Representatives of the Fourth Republic. He was a dogged fighter who stood firm for the independence of the legislature.”

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, in his remarks, said Na’Abba was a pillar in defending the independence of the legislative arm at the onset of the Fourth Republic.

He recalled that it was during Na’Abba’s tenure that elaborate rules of the legislature were formulated.