If there was ever any doubt that greed rules in Nigeria, that the only reason many seek high offices is the material gain therein, the self-serving decision by lawmakers to increase the committees in the national assembly underscores the gluttony, impunity and insensitivity that has crept into public service. In the 360-member lower chamber, the committees were increased from 84 to 96, while the ridicule was upped in the Senate with 65 committees for the 109- member upper legislative chamber. While living standards for the average Nigerian deteriorates daily and majority of citizens have helplessly become hostage to poverty, disease, hunger and insecurity, it rankles, that elected lawmakers want to transform their oversight functions – a crucial part of their legislative duties – into avenues for rent-seeking to “shake-down” Ministers and Heads of parastatals for bribes during budget and committee hearings. At a time President Buhari is trying to reduce the high cost of governance, this repugnant profligacy for personal gain is an unbelievable shame.
And to rub salt on injury, this ballooning of committees came after APC Senators voted down a PDP-sponsored motion on the “Urgent Need to Curb the Soaring Rate of Unemployment in Nigeria” which sought to compel the Buhari administration to begin the immediate payment of the N5,000 monthly stipend to unemployed youths promised during the APC presidential campaigns. Of the 65 committees, the APC produced 41 chairmen while the PDP has 24. The list showed that the APC designated candidate for Senate President, Ahmed Lawan was appointed chairman of the committee on Defence while the party’s candidate for Deputy President, George Akume, was appointed chair of the committee on Army.
Other members of the Senate Unity Forum that campaigned for Lawan against Saraki who were appointed committee chairmen include: Abdullahi Adamu (Agriculture), Barnabas Gemade (Housing), Kabiru Marafa (National Identity Card). The Wife of APC chieftain, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, will chair the Committee on Women Affairs. Leading PDP senators appointed committee chairmen include Hope Uzodinma (Aviation), Gilbert Nnaji (Communication), Uche Ekwunife (Downstream Petroleum), Olaka Johnson Nwogu (Environment), Andy Uba (Public Accounts), John Enoh (Finance), Bassey Albert Akpan (Gas). Some of the committees are so limited in scope, making the idea of creating them in the first instance suspect. For instance, there is a committee on anti-corruption headed by Jide Akinloye and another on Financial Crimes headed by Kayode Oladele while there is even one on Internally-Displaced Persons (IDP) in the Northeast, headed by Sani Zoro.
These committees are obviously borne out of the lawmakers’ renowned profligacy and huge penchant for arm-twisting other arms of government. Their major tool in this regard is the power of oversight granted the legislature by the Constitution, to enhance checks and balances. Sadly, this oversight power has turned into a sword of Damocles in the hands of the legislators, over cabinet ministers and heads of parastatals; who are harassed to extort patronage. The 7th legislature took this obnoxious practice to asinine levels, and went the distance to settle scores with officials who “refused to play ball.” Because committees have been overused and abused, they lost integrity and became an object of ridicule and opprobrium in the eyes of Nigerians. Ministers and public officials, their own corruptive tendencies notwithstanding, hardly take the oversight powers seriously or as anything more than blackmail, a reason they are ever so reluctant to honor the invitation of the legislators.
The lack of decorum and propensity to extort money and abusive patronage now dominates the 8th National Assembly to our great regret. And contrary to all expectations for change promised by the APC, Nigeria remains a victim of her corrupt, inept, clueless and lawless leadership. Her citizens on the other hand have become largely a band of docile and complacent people, who concur in the despoliation of their land by their passive indifference and cold complicity in the face of reckless, arbitrary and ungodly dissipation of their commonwealth by their elected representatives. In a country where the economy has been groaning under the weight of the cost of governance which takes over 70% of its budget to the detriment of capital projects, we question the motives behind these committees. With deepening impunity, Nigerian lawmakers continue to betray the country by their refusal to lead by example. In the event, the ballooning of committees is a clear indication the legislature has become a nauseating behemoth difficult to tame. The audacity of the lawmakers’ action is rooted in the docility of Nigerians who know this is wrong and unjust, but will do no more than musing and bemoaning in the closet of their rooms, instead of publicly protesting.
The greater embarrassment of these committees will be the merry-go-round on non-conclusive inquiries which are often turned into rent-seeking exercises. With this kind of obnoxious legislature, the president may just as well consider the recommendation of the national conference that legislators at both national and state levels should be part-time. This is because all along, the business of law making has always been done part-time by these “Sinators” and “legislooters”. This is evident from the poor attendance at sittings of both legislative houses, as most members go about their personal businesses when they are supposed to be sitting and find time to attend only when it is convenient.
Besides, both houses of the National Assembly sit only between Tuesday and Thursday every week. In essence, what currently obtains is a part-time legislature, where members merely struggle to meet the minimum attendance prescribed by law, but claim full-time remuneration for doing so little, at a time when moderation is required. With a part-time legislature, all bogus and questionable allowances like wardrobe, constituency, furniture and vehicle allowance will become a thing of the past.
A part-time legislature will usher in a new order that will detoxicate the system; and institutionalize a culture of service and discipline now lacking in Nigeria. No longer shall the legislature be seen as a veritable and instant source of wealth that it is today, with the result that only serious-minded and patriotic citizens endowed with the spirit of service will find it attractive. That will be the beginning of a revolution that will transform and give Nigerian democracy a new identity as truly a government of the people by the people and for the people.
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