State-Of-The-Nation Address: I’ve Not Seen Bill, Says Jonathan

jonathan-2012-budgetAny hopes of Nigerians seeing President Goodluck Jonathan giving the State-of-the-Nation address anytime soon might have to wait longer as the President says he has yet to see a copy of the Bill recently passed by the National Assembly.

Jonathan spoke in the early hours of Friday during a dinner he hosted in honour of the Peoples Democratic Party family at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Information Nigeria reports that the Senate had on May 9 passed the bill, urging the President to urgently sign it into law.

If assented to, the President would be mandated to deliver a state-of-the-nation address to a joint sitting of the National Assembly on the first legislative day of July every year.

The bill also makes it mandatory for the President to address a joint session of the National Assembly not less than six months from the date of enactment of the Appropriation Act by the National Assembly.

The dinner event was graced by PDP stalwarts from across the country including Senate President, David Mark; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal; principal officers and members of the National Assembly, among many others.

Jonathan said it was Mark who just informed him of the presence of the bill in his (the President’s) office.

He, however, did not state whether he would sign the bill into law when he eventually sees it.

“It was the Senate President that just told me here that there is a bill by the National Assembly in my office compelling the President to present annual reports every July. I have not seen the bill yet,” he said.