Saraki’s trip to Germany

Sir: On March 8, 2017, Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki made history by becoming the first Nigerian Senate President to visit the Bundesrat Federal Council since its formation in 1867. The five-man delegation from the Senate led by the Senate President and Chairman of the National Assembly, Dr. Bukola Saraki was received by Ms. Malu Dreyer, President of the Bundesrat and Minister President of the Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate.

In advancing their mission, the Senate President and his team after a guided tour of the German Parliament, visited a German Village, Feldheim, a suburb outside Berlin, where a combination of efforts and local resources by the residents produces clean and renewable energy independent from the conventional power source from their national grid.

According to the Project Leader, Werner Frohwitter, citizens take their energy needs into their own hands by contributing money to build bio gas plants, which use slurry and manure from their pigs and cows and wind farms. Moved by the possibility of replicating the innovative feat achieved by the German Village back in Nigeria, Saraki called for an amendment of our laws on power generation, distribution and transmission in order to create steady power supply, eradicate poverty and unleash the potential of Nigerians.

“We have to amend the laws to allow communities to generate energy that is more than 10 megawatts and also regulating the laws on power transmission and distribution to allow more creativity and involvement from the private sector,” Saraki said shortly after inspecting the power plants.  Also, on his return to Berlin, Saraki used the meeting with Mr. Thomas Silberhorn, the Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister to advocate for Economic exchange between Germany and Nigeria especially as the country is putting in place measures to pull out of its current recession. Certainly, the Saraki-led National Assembly is the best Nigeria has ever had.

Wale Bakare,Abuja, FCT