Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has lauded a period in Nigeria’s legislative history when the National Assembly demonstrated robust independence and authority, particularly in overriding presidential vetoes on critical legislation.
Speaking on Wednesday evening at the Champions of Nigerian Content Awards Dinner, held by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Jonathan recounted his experience with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Bill. He was honoured with the Nigerian Content Lifetime Achievement Award at the event.
“When I was acting President in 2010, and the National Assembly presented the bill, I promptly signed it and we quickly established a monitoring body. Someone like Lee Maeba, the bill’s originator, and his group also deserve recognition. That was a period when the National Assembly truly lived up to its name,” Jonathan said, highlighting the dynamic nature of the legislature at the time.
He also recalled the National Assembly’s assertiveness in passing the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) bill into law despite President Olusegun Obasanjo’s initial refusal to assent.
“In 2000, the NDDC bill was also vetoed by the National Assembly. They overrode President Obasanjo’s refusal. Typically, in other countries, it is the President who vetoes bills. But in Nigeria, during the law-making process, it is the National Assembly that can exercise the veto,” Jonathan explained.
He added, “If the President does not assent to a bill within 30 days, the National Assembly can reconvene and, with a two-thirds majority calculated by headcount, not voice vote—enact the bill into law. That is how the NDDC Act came into being, thanks to a truly vibrant National Assembly.”
Jonathan concluded by commending Senator Lee Maeba and his team for their contributions to Nigeria’s legislative progress.
