THE Speaker, House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara on Monday said that the House is ready to work with the executive arm of government, saying that “if this government fails, we all failed”.
The Speaker however warned that the support the House is ready to give to the present executive led by President Muhammadu Buhari should not be taken for granted.
The Speaker spoke when the newly appointed Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha paid him a courtesy call alongside Permanent Secretaries from his office.
The new SGF is visiting the leadership of the House a day before the President is scheduled to present the 2018 budget.
While giving the SGF the assurance of a good working relationship with the executive arm of government, the Speaker said that all the three arms of government are working for the common good purpose of delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of the country.
He however said that the coming of the new SGF to the National Assembly was unprecedented, “where the SGF will on his own come to the House without summon… ”
The Speaker also told the SGF that good working relationship between the National Assembly and the Executive would help drive home government policy, saying that, “once we buy into any government policy it will get to the grassroots”.
Earlier, the newly appointed SGF solicited the support of the House on government programmes, saying that, “we are joint partner in the project of Nigeria”.
He equally said that the role of National Assembly is so important that the executive would not want to joke with, stressing that the government would need the help of National Assembly in the domestication of treaties and agreements that would help the government.
He said that “after my assumption, because you’re a strategic partner, I decided that the first point of call will have to be the National Assembly”.
He however told the Speaker that, ” you’re part of the process through which President Muhammadu Buhari emerge as our candidate in 2015, now that you’re the Speaker you must nurture the same process that you started “.