Former President Goodluck Jonathan has praised past sessions of Nigeria's National Assembly for demonstrating independence and courage by standing up to presidential authority through overriding vetoes on important legislation.

Speaking at the Champions of Nigerian Content Awards Dinner organized by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Jonathan reflected on periods when the legislature exercised decisive action and autonomy.

"When I was acting President in 2010, and the National Assembly presented the bill, I promptly signed it and we quickly established a monitoring body," Jonathan said, referring to the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Bill.

The former president, who received the Nigerian Content Lifetime Achievement Award at the event, described the bill as a product of a dynamic legislature. He specifically acknowledged Senator Lee Maeba of Rivers State as the bill's originator.

"Someone like Lee Maeba, the bill's originator, and his group also deserve recognition. That was a period when the National Assembly truly lived up to its name," Jonathan remarked.

The ex-president also highlighted the passage of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Act in 2000 as a defining moment of legislative independence. He recalled how the National Assembly overrode then-President Olusegun Obasanjo's refusal to assent to the bill.

Jonathan's comments come at a time when discussions about the separation of powers and legislative independence continue to be important topics in Nigeria's democratic journey.