s part of their legislative mission, lawmakers sponsor private or executive measures, and if the bill is popular, it could be co-sponsored by as many senators as are favourable to it.

The 9th Assembly will expire on June 11, 2023, and a review of the "bills dumping index" reveals that all Senators from the three senatorial flanks of Anambra State sponsored measures that were abandoned in the middle of the legislative process.

Stella Oduah (PDP) represents Anambra North Senatorial District, Uche Ekwunife (PDP) represents Anambra Central Senatorial District, and Ifeanyi Uba (YPP) represents Anambra South Senatorial District for the state of Anambra. In contrast to Senators Oduah and Ekwunife, Ifeanyi Uba is a newcomer to the 9th Assembly of the Young Progressive Party (YPP).

At the time of this special report, Senator Stella Oduah had sponsored 39 measures, of which 29 had passed the first reading and five had passed the second reading after the basic principles had been read, debated, and referred to committees, where nothing has been heard about them since. Additionally, five of the bills have not been discussed.

Senator Uche Lilian Ekwunife, despite being a senator with seniority and legislative expertise, sponsored 29 bills during the 9th National Assembly, of which 13 became law. 1 was approved while 10 were rejected.

In less than four years as a member of the 9th National Assembly, Senator Ifeanyi Uba, a first-timer, sponsored twenty measures. None of the fourteen bills that passed first reading became legislation, while three have moved on to committees and three are in an undetermined stage.

This does not include co-sponsored legislation or involvement in legislative resolutions and motions.

They are all ten, and a significant number of bills have been dumped by senators from other states.

Senator Sadiq Suleiman Umar is a representative of the Kwara North Senatorial District. He has sponsored 25 bills, none of which have become law. In addition to the eleven bills that have passed the first reading, eleven more are now in committee.

In less than four years, Orji Uzor Kalu, a former governor of Abia State and the Senate's chief whip, sponsored 25 measures, of which 11 passed first reading but none became law. 11 of the legislation could not be located or their locations were unknown, whilst three had advanced to the committee stage.

Senator Jibrin Barau, who represents the Kano North Senatorial District and is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, has sponsored 21 measures during the past four years. Still, only 11 of them passed through the first reading and were no longer considered. Seven of the measures have reached the committee stage, while three remain unaccounted for.

Senator Gyang Istifanus Dung, who represents the Plateau North Senatorial District, is a poor performer in terms of bill sponsorship, having sponsored a total of 18 bills, none of which have been enacted into law, 11 of which have reached first reading, and three of which are unaccounted for.

Senator Gershom Henry Bassey of the Cross River South Senatorial District introduced 22 pieces of legislation in the 9th Senate, but only 10 passed first reading, 2 are in committee, and 8 are unaccounted for.

Rochas Anayo Okorocha, a former governor of Imo State and senator representing the Imo West Senatorial District sponsored 15 pieces of legislation, of which 9 reached the first reading; none passed, 2 remain in committee, and 4 are unaccounted for.

Mukhail Abiru, the senator for Lagos East, ran for the first time on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC. He sponsored 15 proposals, of which 6 passed through first reading, none became law, 3 are in c**ommittee, and 6 are nowhere to be found.

On Thursday, a former senator from the 8th Natio**nal Assembly who emphasised his appreciation for his colleagues and begged anonymity criticised the lack of dedication by some legislators in the lower or upper parliamentary chamber.

According to him, it is difficult to sponsor a measure, particularly in the sphere of research, which must be weighed against the requirements of the people, he said.

He said: "The sponsoring of the measure begins with study based on the needs of the people, which include all 109 senatorial districts, not just your own. In the basic principles debate, other legislators will oppose the bill if it falls short of these requirements.

"Secondly, some senators are hampered by legal concerns that distort their dedication to legislative activity. Numerous senators frequently need to defend themselves in court. I believe that this impacts their overall performance.

"There are several legislative activities, such as influencing and citing constituent projects and contributing to chamber and committee deliberations," he stated.

The tradition of the lower and upper legislative chambers requires that laws not passed into law during a session expire with it, and it is feared that none of the pending bills will see the light of day before the 9th National Assembly expires.

(Source: dailypost.ng)