By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – Former Senate President, Sen. Joseph Wayas, worked for harmony between the Executive and Legislative Arms of government when he led the Senate.
This is according to the President of the Senate, Sen. Ahmad Lawan, who made this known while eulogising his predecessor who served between 1979 and 1983.
Wayas died at age 80 on 30th November, 2021.
Lawan, while contributing to a motion raised by Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North) during plenary on Wednesday, December 8, 2021, further said the late Wayas, while serving as a presiding officer, was particularly concerned with ensuring peace, productivity and proficiency within the legislative arm of government.
He said, “Let me join our colleague who made remarks in the death of Senator Joseph Wayas, the third President of the Senate in the second republic.
“Senator Joseph Wayas as a presiding officer, President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly, brought peace, productivity and proficiency in the legislature then.
“[And] of course, they had a very good working relationship between the two major arms of government (legislature and executive).
“Even though they had a House of Representatives that was presided over by another political party, he was able to manage the Senate and the House of Representatives in such a manner that there was productivity and high turnout of legislative interventions that made the executive arm of government at the time to function.
“For us, we have lessons to learn from his skills in running the affairs of the National Assembly then and the Senate, in particular.
“We have been managing ourselves here, in the way and manner that President of the Senate, Joseph Wayas, ran the Senate in 1979 to 1983.
“I believe that he had a decent life, and was not a controversial person and very open minded like all of us said.”
Earlier, while leading debate on the motion, the Senate Leader said his demise wae a great loss to his family, the people of Cross-River North and the Government of Cross-River State.”
The Senate observed a minute silence in honour of Late Senator Joseph Wayas and resolved to work with the government of Cross Rivers State and to fully participate in his burial.