Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has urged members-elect of the national assembly to be courageous in the discharge of their legislative duties.

Dogara said this while making remarks at the opening ceremony of the orientation programme for members-elect of the 9th assembly in abuja sunday night.

He said, with courage, they could influence government within the executive and judiciary.

“i have said that the hallowed chambers of the national assembly requires people of courage. Very soon, we members-elect of the national assembly, whether distinguished senators and members of the House of Representatives, will be required to take an oath of office.

“But we must always remember that our democracy is organised in such a way that it is made to be driven by consensus.

“where consensus fails, it is always the prerogative of the parliament or the national assembly of nigeria to go first, in the sense that when it comes to bills for instance, even where the president has vetoed the bill, if the national assembly can muster two third of its members, they can override the bill.

He added that the burden of appropriation rests on the members of the parliament.

“And so, with regards to appropriation, no monies will be appropriated or spent in the absence of express legislative authorisation.

“That means the budget is the work of the national parliament. So this work, of course, requires courage.

“We are meant, as the first institution of democracy, to work with the executive and the judiciary.

“It was never designed that the national assembly will work for the executive or work for the judiciary.

While congratulating the members-elect on their victory at the polls, the speaker urged them to ensure that they work for the people that elected them and not for any other interest.