Nigeria celebrated her 55th Independence anniversary on October 1. The occasion was not with pomp. The ceremony was low-key. The Federal Government, under the watch of President MuhammaduBuhari, approved N70 million to mark it. The amount was far less than had been spent yearly by the successive civilian administration since 1999.
But the political circles were regaled with a piece of propaganda that the Goodluck Jonathan administration spent princely billions of naira cumulatively on the anniversary since stepping in the saddle as president in 2010. The claim has been debunked by former National Planning Minister, Dr Abubakar Suleman. This is not the focus of this month’s edition.
This edition focuses, in the main, on the place of the Legislature in the attainment of the Nigeria’s Independence. The cover story, written by our General Editor, Dare Atoye, titled: “Nigeria @55: Whither the National Assembly?” attempts to interrogate the issue and explicate the contribution of the Legislature to the process of nationhood and self determination.
President Buhari used the occasion of the celebration to speak on the direction and philosophy of his administration. His first Independence Anniversary speech as a democratically-elected President is reproduced in this edition, for the record.
Also, in this edition, we present to you many other issues that are germane to the developments in the Legislature and a few others that dwell on issues not directly within the purview or ambience of the Legislature, to wit: interview(s,) reports(especially on the screening and confirmation of minister-nominees), opinions, issues and perspectives, among others.
The edition is packaged, as usual, for your reading pleasure.
Enjoy it.
EmmahAdah
Deputy Editor-in-Chief
