SENATE President, Godswill Akpabio, has refreshingly elevated political discourse by calling on his colleagues in the 10th National Assembly to eschew personal interest and work for the benefit of the country. Speaking at the resumption of the 2023/24 legislative year, he charged senators to close ranks for the “benefit of our constituents” and start thinking about Nigeria in a new light. With Nigeria battling multiple crises, the call should signal a new era of selfless service by Nigeria’s discredited lawmakers.
The country’s No.3 political leader urged senators to demonstrate patriotism, unity, and dedication to the country. He and every other lawmaker need to act accordingly to reassure Nigerians because members of the National Assembly, past and present, are notorious for self-aggrandisement and poor performance.
They exhibit a glaring disconnection from the harsh living realities that ordinary Nigerians experience daily. In 2018, Nigeria became the world’s poverty capital, briefly displacing India. In 2022, the National Bureau of Statistics identified 133 million citizens as “extremely poor,” 62.9 per cent of the population. This figure is expected to rise above 140 million this year. The country is broke and indebted. Yet, Nigerians watch in dismay as federal lawmakers luxuriate at public expense.
Akpabio now seems aware that Nigeria has not made much progress since the Fourth Republic commenced in 1999. He said, “The challenges before us require unity, cooperation, and steadfast commitment to addressing the issues that affect the lives of all Nigerian citizens, mindful of the fact that the responsibilities we bear are weighty, and that our decisions impact the lives and livelihoods of countless Nigerian citizens.”
Rousing words! But he should lead by example. For eight years, he was governor of Akwa Ibom State, later in succession, a senator, and the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs. His pension as ex-governor is obscene. He has reportedly just ordered four new SUVs for himself. There are several other like-minded ex-governors in the NASS.
The 10th Senate is not different from the previous ones. Each senator is to receive a bulletproof SUV worth at least N250 million. Despite Nigeria spending 96 per cent of its income servicing the national debt, its lawmakers are adjudged to be the world’s highest paid legislators. They refuse to make sacrifices as ordinary Nigerians are forced to do.
Akpabio caused an uproar as the NASS was about to go on annual recess when he told lawmakers that he had sent money to them. This is against the rousing admonition by former United States president, John Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
Instead of looking after the taxpayer’s money, Nigerian legislators look after their bank balances. In their oversight functions, bribery allegations are rife. Former President Muhammadu Buhari accused lawmakers of diverting N1 trillion allocated for constituency projects in the 10 years to 2020.
They sustain a disturbing culture of waste. Although the Oronsaye report (2012) recommended mergers and scrapping of the 541 MDAs to cut the cost of governance, the number has since ballooned to over 600. Ministerial screening is shambolic, exposing slothfulness and the elevation of primordial politics above national interest.
The Ninth NASS ‘rubber-stamped’ loan approvals without scrutiny. The recklessness persists. Tajudeen Abbas, the Speaker, House of Representatives, has just increased the number of standing committees from 109 to 137!
Akpabio and his colleagues can however begin the positive remaking of Nigeria. They should come clean over members’ remuneration. Ministerial screening must become rigorous.
The NASS should merge and scrap the several newly established tertiary institutions and the MDAs straining the public purse. It should scrap the corrupt constituency projects, scrutinise all public finances, including loans, and provide effective oversight over the executive.
