On-why-nigerian-legislators-at-all-levels-have-abdicated-their-responsibilities
September 7, 2020 | News
ON WHY NIGERIAN LEGISLATORS AT ALL LEVELS HAVE ABDICATED THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES
It is sad that since 1999 till date, the Nigerian legislators at the Federal and State levels have grossly abandoned their statutory roles for which they were elected to play in the first place. Nigerians cannot really pinpoint and state any positive impacts and positive changes in their economic lives and standard of living, which was, or is, as a result of activities of the Nigerian legislators as law makers. Rather, what Nigerians can attest to be their experiences with the nation’s past and present legislators, is one that is full of disappointments, failures, gross irresponsibility, high-profile corruption, waste and mi­smanagement of our collective public wealth, dishonorable acts and disgraceful acts in the floors of their Chambers (both at the State Assemblies and the National Assembly).
While there are many reasons, I can list to substantiate the subject argument, but let us narrow it to some few. The first being that majority of the Nigerian politicians who are, or were in Government across all levels, particularly those at the National and State Assemblies as well as other public office holders; do not understand what it means to lead as Public Officers. If they do, I mean if they understand what it means to ‘SERVE’, we are certain that Nigeria will not be where it is presently. While MAJORITY OF THEM ARE THERE AS LAWMAKERS FOR THE WRONG REASONS, others were scripted or dragged to occupy these sensitive political leadership positions, which they were ‘never prepared’ to handle, or even understand fully, how to carry out the responsibilities thrust on their shoulders as law makers. At the end of the day, what we have in our hands over the years, are Parliamentarians who have no iota of idea of what it truly means to function as lawmakers. They are more interested in answering and bearing the title of “Honourable.” But are they really Honourable members of Parliament? Judging by what we see them do as lawmakers, there is nothing honourable about them. Another factor on why Nigerian lawmakers are not performing as they should, is simply because of their GREED. A lot has been said about this in my previous writeups.
The doctrine of Separation of Powers posits that there are three branches which constitute a Government in modern democratic societies or systems. These are the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary. In every modern democracy, the functions of the Government are lawmaking, enforcement or law execution and administration of justice respectively. The legislature is responsible for making the laws, the executive ensures enforcement, while the judiciary interprets the law. While every arm of the Government is very important, but we can see that legislature, whose responsibility is it to enact/make laws that would practically steer the direction of the Government and the society, is the one with the most sensitive responsibility. Not to mention its OVERSIGHT FUNCTIONS to checkmate the excesses of the Executive arm. The most important function of the legislative arm of Government is its ‘lawmaking authority. In order for a law to be created/enacted, a bill must be introduced by either a member of the House or Senate.
According to a current affairs analyst, Grace Ayodele Arowolo: “The legislature is an institution which represents the common and collective interests of the citizens through the enactment of laws and the exercise of oversight functions on the activities of the executive arm of government. The legislature in a democracy exists as an independent institution which deepens democracy and ultimately strengthens the polity… In the quest for nation building in a democratic set up like Nigeria, the exercise of effective legislative oversight function remains crucial. Its purpose is to provide a powerful check on the executive authority, enhancing accountability where a dominant executive branch might operate with impunity. It also aims at ensuring that all relevant societal groups are included in and benefit from the nation building and development exercise and that government policies and budgets are implemented in an effective, efficient, transparent and accountable manner. The power of oversight is conferred on the Nigerian legislature by the Constitution, to enable the National Assembly to expose corruption, inefficiency, or waste in the execution or administration of laws within its legislative competence and in the disbursement and administration of funds appropriated by the Acts. Nigeria, being a developing country, the legislature’s capacity to carry out its oversight functions remained weak because legislative role and culture has not been allowed to mature.”
Despite its sensitive and important role as lawmakers, Nigerian legislators have not been able to effect the needed change in the country’s developmental strides. Rather, they have been guilty of all the Oversight functions they are supposed to maintain in the Executive and in the public space. In my own candid opinion, the Nigerian legislators at all levels, have turned their supposed “hallowed Chambers” into “Event Centers for all kinds of entertainment.” In fact, the Nigerian State Assemblies and the National Assembly have become ‘theatre houses’ of some sort - where movies are acted to entertain the general public and the international community. If you desire to have a free cinema where you will be entertained, just watch the plenary sessions of Nigerian lawmakers at all levels. That is what they give the Nigerian people. From their usual rowdy sessions; free-for-all fights/fisticuffs; empty seats during weekly sessions; the outrageous salaries/bonuses and ‘high-maintenance culture’ they allocate to themselves; refusal/unwillingness to resign to pave way/allow the law take its course especially when they have corrupt cases/charges hanging on their necks; standing up to speak during their plenary sessions without sincerity of purpose or the interest of the people at heart; their penchant to quickly pass Bills that would project and protect their interests, but mindlessly and purposely delay the passage of Bills meant to improve the lot of Nigerians; to their lavish and wasteful lifestyles that have made many of them so GREEDY and willing to do anything to remain as lawmakers to maintain such lifestyles, and so on and so forth. The list is quite many if we are to state all the anomalies and things wrong with our Nigerian so-called lawmakers at all levels, all of which makes the National and State Assemblies to be in ‘a sorry-state’ as Institutions of legislature.
Instead of exercise their Oversight functions and statutory roles, many of the Nigerian lawmakers and their leadership at all levels, have reduced themselves to mere ‘errand boys’. Rather than be the Parliamentarians and Members of the Legislative arm of Government, Nigerian legislators at all levels have been acting like ‘political appointees’ of the Executive. Even when they keep denying this, or once in a while, try to ‘show themselves’ as being independent legislatures, we can see through them as being nothing but appointees of the Executive. We see this play out at the various State Assemblies and the National Assembly. Many of them, like I have said, do not even know why they are there as lawmakers. They do not know what it means to be legislators and representatives of the people. There are evidently no constructive criticism and oppositions by Nigerian legislators at all levels, against the actions and policies of the Executive Government at all levels. We see this in the way they are very quick to pass bills and requests made by the Executive Government, which includes unreasonable borrowing and granting of loans. But when it comes to the passage of bills meant to improve sensitive sectors of the economy in the interest of the people, they dilly-dally with them.
Recently, I was shocked by picture that went viral online of one Honourable Daniel Ukpera of the Benue State House of Assembly, who, they only thing he could think of to do for his constituency, was to donate brand new colourful ropes to his community to help them tie their goats. And he was even proud to have taken pictures with the said ropes and members of his community using same to tie their goats, which is now being circulated online. How would the world look at us as a people, when they see such an embarrassment of a lawmaker, carrying out such project? And we are certain that at the end of the day, hundreds of thousands and even millions of funds will be said to have been budgeted to carry out this so-called constituency rope project. This is just one example. There are many of such all around us. What a shame!
We have said it on several occasions that those who usually end up as members of the nation’s legislative arm of Government at all levels (both past and present), are major obstacles that have been stagnating and retrogressing the various States’ and country’s developmental strides from all angles. This unfortunate attribute of the nation’s lawmakers at all levels, is often demonstrated by them in different forms that are too many to elaborate. But the crux of the matter here is that the failures we see today and the times past in Nigerian Governments, are as a result of the character, dispositions, actions and attributes of the people supposedly elected as lawmakers at all levels. Truth is, if the Nigerian legislators at all levels really know their lawful duties as lawmakers, and are not ready to compromise their statutory roles for anything, but are very sincere to carry out their functions with sincerity of purpose; Nigeria and its common masses will not be in its present deplorable status.
Zik Gbemre.
June 17, 2020.
We Mobilize Others to Fight for Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
ON WHY NIGERIAN LEGISLATORS AT ALL LEVELS HAVE ABDICATED THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES
It is sad that since 1999 till date, the Nigerian legislators at the Federal and State levels have grossly abandoned their statutory roles for which they were elected to play in the first place. Nigerians cannot really pinpoint and state any positive impacts and positive changes in their economic lives and standard of living, which was, or is, as a result of activities of the Nigerian legislators as law makers. Rather, what Nigerians can attest to be their experiences with the nation’s past and present legislators, is one that is full of disappointments, failures, gross irresponsibility, high-profile corruption, waste and mi­smanagement of our collective public wealth, dishonorable acts and disgraceful acts in the floors of their Chambers (both at the State Assemblies and the National Assembly).
While there are many reasons, I can list to substantiate the subject argument, but let us narrow it to some few. The first being that majority of the Nigerian politicians who are, or were in Government across all levels, particularly those at the National and State Assemblies as well as other public office holders; do not understand what it means to lead as Public Officers. If they do, I mean if they understand what it means to ‘SERVE’, we are certain that Nigeria will not be where it is presently. While MAJORITY OF THEM ARE THERE AS LAWMAKERS FOR THE WRONG REASONS, others were scripted or dragged to occupy these sensitive political leadership positions, which they were ‘never prepared’ to handle, or even understand fully, how to carry out the responsibilities thrust on their shoulders as law makers. At the end of the day, what we have in our hands over the years, are Parliamentarians who have no iota of idea of what it truly means to function as lawmakers. They are more interested in answering and bearing the title of “Honourable.” But are they really Honourable members of Parliament? Judging by what we see them do as lawmakers, there is nothing honourable about them. Another factor on why Nigerian lawmakers are not performing as they should, is simply because of their GREED. A lot has been said about this in my previous writeups.
The doctrine of Separation of Powers posits that there are three branches which constitute a Government in modern democratic societies or systems. These are the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary. In every modern democracy, the functions of the Government are lawmaking, enforcement or law execution and administration of justice respectively. The legislature is responsible for making the laws, the executive ensures enforcement, while the judiciary interprets the law. While every arm of the Government is very important, but we can see that legislature, whose responsibility is it to enact/make laws that would practically steer the direction of the Government and the society, is the one with the most sensitive responsibility. Not to mention its OVERSIGHT FUNCTIONS to checkmate the excesses of the Executive arm. The most important function of the legislative arm of Government is its ‘lawmaking authority. In order for a law to be created/enacted, a bill must be introduced by either a member of the House or Senate.
According to a current affairs analyst, Grace Ayodele Arowolo: “The legislature is an institution which represents the common and collective interests of the citizens through the enactment of laws and the exercise of oversight functions on the activities of the executive arm of government. The legislature in a democracy exists as an independent institution which deepens democracy and ultimately strengthens the polity… In the quest for nation building in a democratic set up like Nigeria, the exercise of effective legislative oversight function remains crucial. Its purpose is to provide a powerful check on the executive authority, enhancing accountability where a dominant executive branch might operate with impunity. It also aims at ensuring that all relevant societal groups are included in and benefit from the nation building and development exercise and that government policies and budgets are implemented in an effective, efficient, transparent and accountable manner. The power of oversight is conferred on the Nigerian legislature by the Constitution, to enable the National Assembly to expose corruption, inefficiency, or waste in the execution or administration of laws within its legislative competence and in the disbursement and administration of funds appropriated by the Acts. Nigeria, being a developing country, the legislature’s capacity to carry out its oversight functions remained weak because legislative role and culture has not been allowed to mature.”
Despite its sensitive and important role as lawmakers, Nigerian legislators have not been able to effect the needed change in the country’s developmental strides. Rather, they have been guilty of all the Oversight functions they are supposed to maintain in the Executive and in the public space. In my own candid opinion, the Nigerian legislators at all levels, have turned their supposed “hallowed Chambers” into “Event Centers for all kinds of entertainment.” In fact, the Nigerian State Assemblies and the National Assembly have become ‘theatre houses’ of some sort - where movies are acted to entertain the general public and the international community. If you desire to have a free cinema where you will be entertained, just watch the plenary sessions of Nigerian lawmakers at all levels. That is what they give the Nigerian people. From their usual rowdy sessions; free-for-all fights/fisticuffs; empty seats during weekly sessions; the outrageous salaries/bonuses and ‘high-maintenance culture’ they allocate to themselves; refusal/unwillingness to resign to pave way/allow the law take its course especially when they have corrupt cases/charges hanging on their necks; standing up to speak during their plenary sessions without sincerity of purpose or the interest of the people at heart; their penchant to quickly pass Bills that would project and protect their interests, but mindlessly and purposely delay the passage of Bills meant to improve the lot of Nigerians; to their lavish and wasteful lifestyles that have made many of them so GREEDY and willing to do anything to remain as lawmakers to maintain such lifestyles, and so on and so forth. The list is quite many if we are to state all the anomalies and things wrong with our Nigerian so-called lawmakers at all levels, all of which makes the National and State Assemblies to be in ‘a sorry-state’ as Institutions of legislature.
Instead of exercise their Oversight functions and statutory roles, many of the Nigerian lawmakers and their leadership at all levels, have reduced themselves to mere ‘errand boys’. Rather than be the Parliamentarians and Members of the Legislative arm of Government, Nigerian legislators at all levels have been acting like ‘political appointees’ of the Executive. Even when they keep denying this, or once in a while, try to ‘show themselves’ as being independent legislatures, we can see through them as being nothing but appointees of the Executive. We see this play out at the various State Assemblies and the National Assembly. Many of them, like I have said, do not even know why they are there as lawmakers. They do not know what it means to be legislators and representatives of the people. There are evidently no constructive criticism and oppositions by Nigerian legislators at all levels, against the actions and policies of the Executive Government at all levels. We see this in the way they are very quick to pass bills and requests made by the Executive Government, which includes unreasonable borrowing and granting of loans. But when it comes to the passage of bills meant to improve sensitive sectors of the economy in the interest of the people, they dilly-dally with them.
Recently, I was shocked by picture that went viral online of one Honourable Daniel Ukpera of the Benue State House of Assembly, who, they only thing he could think of to do for his constituency, was to donate brand new colourful ropes to his community to help them tie their goats. And he was even proud to have taken pictures with the said ropes and members of his community using same to tie their goats, which is now being circulated online. How would the world look at us as a people, when they see such an embarrassment of a lawmaker, carrying out such project? And we are certain that at the end of the day, hundreds of thousands and even millions of funds will be said to have been budgeted to carry out this so-called constituency rope project. This is just one example. There are many of such all around us. What a shame!
We have said it on several occasions that those who usually end up as members of the nation’s legislative arm of Government at all levels (both past and present), are major obstacles that have been stagnating and retrogressing the various States’ and country’s developmental strides from all angles. This unfortunate attribute of the nation’s lawmakers at all levels, is often demonstrated by them in different forms that are too many to elaborate. But the crux of the matter here is that the failures we see today and the times past in Nigerian Governments, are as a result of the character, dispositions, actions and attributes of the people supposedly elected as lawmakers at all levels. Truth is, if the Nigerian legislators at all levels really know their lawful duties as lawmakers, and are not ready to compromise their statutory roles for anything, but are very sincere to carry out their functions with sincerity of purpose; Nigeria and its common masses will not be in its present deplorable status.
Zik Gbemre.
June 17, 2020.
We Mobilize Others to Fight for Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes