Edo North Senator, Adams Oshiomhole, has expressed concern over the pace at which bills are passed in the Senate, describing the process as making the upper chamber appear like a “rubber-stamp” legislature for the presidency.
The former Edo State governor and senior member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) raised the issue on Tuesday during plenary as lawmakers considered concurrence bills from the House of Representatives.
The bills included amendments to the National Examinations Council (NECO) to make it compulsory for secondary school students, the creation of the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies, the establishment of the Nigeria Weights and Measures Regulatory Agency, and the Chartered Institute of Training and Development of Nigeria.
Presented together by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, the bills were referred to the Committee of the Whole for debate, a stage where any senator can raise objections. However, no opposition was recorded, and Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin presided over their passage.
Following the approval, Oshiomhole criticized the speed at which the bills were considered, arguing that senators were not given sufficient time to read or understand the documents.
“I’m seriously troubled with the way we are going about making these laws. The primary law was distributed just a minute ago, and there are four bills in total. We are not meant to rubber-stamp, and rushing in this manner undermines the bicameral system,” he said.
He also questioned the necessity of establishing the Chartered Institute of Training and Development of Nigeria, noting that the bill did not justify the legislative time it consumed.
Oshiomhole’s remarks reflect ongoing concerns that the 10th Senate has frequently fast-tracked executive-backed bills with minimal debate, raising fears that legislative oversight is being sidelined.
In response, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin instructed the Senate Committee on Rules and Business, led by Titus Zam, to ensure draft bills are circulated to senators at least two days before debate. He acknowledged that while concurrence bills often move quickly because they have undergone scrutiny in the House, the Senate must still conduct its own review.
“The reason we fast-track bills from the House is that they have gone through public hearings and expert input. Even so, with a bicameral legislature, we must closely examine each proposal,” Jibrin said.
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