Former President of the Senate, Senate David Mark, has charged the 10th National Assembly to prioritise its legislative agenda that will address national malaise including to forestall controversial or inconclusive elections in future.
Mark listed some of the problems facing the nation to include deteriorating economic situation, high crime rate, unemployment, farmers/ herders clashes, banditry, terrorism, food shortage, insufficient and decaying infrastructure, out of school children and poor health facilities among others.
Addressing principal officers of the 10th National Assembly at a two day retreat in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State over the weekend, Mark said although the problems were primarily not the creation of the legislators, Nigerians elected them to proffer solutions.
Mark, who was the president of the Senate for eight uninterrupted years ( 2007-2011 & 2011- 2015) spoke on the theme “ improving legislative effectiveness in a multi -party legislature through committees & Caucuses”.
He urged the Senator Godswill Akoabio led principal officers of the National Assembly to be innovative m, think and act outside the box pointing out that “it cannot be business as usual.
“ You must therefore design a legislative agenda that can provide a legal and regulatory framework that will support government initiatives and policies. The agenda must show in clear and concrete terms how to address the issues facing nation.