By; Mohammed Kawu, Bauchi
The Speaker, Bauchi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abubakar Yakubu Suleiman has observed that the existing mutual working relationship between the Executive and Legislative arms of government is very crucial and essential for the effective and efficient functioning of a democratic system.
He explained that such a working relationship in a democratic system ensures, among others, checks and balances, effective policy making, representation of the people, stability in governance, and legislative oversight.
Rt. Hon. Abubakar Suleiman, while presenting six bills passed by the Assembly to the State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed Monday for his assent, assured the governor and people of the state of the House continued commitment, support, and cooperation towards ensuring that the relationship wax from strength to strength.
“We in Bauchi state are blessed and lucky to have mutual relationship with the Executive, and that is the reason why we are witnessing the numerous development and people oriented life touching projects and programmes across the state”.
“As young as the 2nd term tenure of the present administration in the state, the Honourable House has received from the Executive 16 bills, out of which eleven were passed into law, five were already assented to, and 6 will be assented to today, making a total of eleven, the remaining five are with relevant House committees undergoing legislative processes”, Speaker said.
Suleiman enumerated the six bills for assent as, A law to repeal Bauchi State University Establishment law 2010, and enact Sa’ad Zungur University law 2022; A law to repeal Healthcare Development law 2012 and to enact a law to establish Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Board; A law to provide for the establishment of Bauchi State Herders and Farmers Board; A law to provide for the establishment of Border Community Development Agency; A law to establish Bauchi State Rural Access Roads Authority (RARA 2024); and A law to provide for access to basic education
Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed had while assenting to the bills into law, noted that the two arms of government have established a tradition that enforces governance and postering good working relationship in a manner that they are establishing institutions and providing legislative framework.
According to the governor, the good working relationship between the Executive and Legislature is a clear departure from the casual approach to governance, to institutional and legally backed initiatives that would stand the test of time.
“What we have done today is to look at all the aspects that have direct bearings on our lives as a state, education, healthcare, and of course, rural development. These are the bane of development in a state like ours with a very huge population and so much ungoverned spaces, with so much complexities and diversities.
Mohammed said that the Herders and Farmers law is to create routes, and ensure that there is no clash between farmers and herders, provide setbacks on roads so that herders can pass without transgressing into farmlands.
“It is also to make it punishable for local authorities with some of the traditional rulers abusing the privilege of leading to bring arbitrariness and injustice to these categories of people, the herders and farmers, and the believe it would go along way in enhancing security”, the governor stated.
Senator Bala Mohammed added,” Same thing with our rural roads that are within the template of the World Bank which we are signatories to the RAMP project that we must establish this agency for sustainability and maintenance to ensure that there is capacity in terms of sustaining the rural roads that the state government is providing”.
He said that the Access to Basic Education law, is to ensure enrolment and access, and more attention to primary education, taking into cognisance that Bauchi state has relapsed, hence the need for contributions of traditional rulers to go back to those good
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