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A lot of ugly things have happened in the National Assembly. Almost on a yearly basis, what we hear from the two hallowed chambers troubles the mind. The lawmakers appear to have abandoned the cardinal duty that brought them to office. Hence, many Nigerians have lost hope in them and there is every need to restore that hope.
Recently, the senator representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District in the Senate, Abdul Ningi, alleged that the red chamber padded the 2024 budget to the tune of N3.7 trillion. He further claimed that the implementation of the budget was skewed against the North. In a similar vein, the senator representing Cross River North, Agom Jarigbe, alleged that all his ranking colleagues got as much as N500 million each but that he got nothing. Riled by Ningi’s allegation, the Senate Majority Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, said it was akin to a civilian coup against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. Consequently, the Senate suspended Senator Ningi for three months.
Following the outrage by Nigerians, the leadership of the Senate denied padding the budget. Senate spokesman, Yemi Adaramodu, explained that the N3.7 trillion was not padded but that it was for the agencies of government on first line charge.
But a civic non-profit organisation, BudgIT, observed that there was no detailed allocation for the N3.7 trillion in the 2024 budget. According to the organisation, the allocations of the National Assembly, National Judicial Council (NJC), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), among other government-owned enterprises, did not have a detailed breakdown. For instance, the National Assembly reportedly inserted a total of 7,447 constituency projects amounting to N2.24 trillion in the 2024 budget. Tracking down some details, especially the location of some of these projects, including 1,150 street lights worth N212 billion, 427 boreholes worth N82.5 billion and empowerment of traditional rulers with a value of N7.61 billion, is not an easy task.
Even before the budget padding allegation, the National Assembly had courted controversies in the way and manner money is spent in the legislature. Last year, Nigerians were disappointed that despite the hardship in the country, the National Assembly leadership procured brand new sport utility vehicles said to be worth N160 million each for the lawmakers soon after their inauguration last year. The total cost is said to be about N57.6 billion.
The disturbing part of the profligacy is that it is done without regard for the feelings of the ordinary citizens who are going through excruciating hardship. The rate of inflation has driven prices of food items out of the reach of the masses. From 25.08 per cent in August 2023, the rate of inflation climbed to 31.70 per cent in February 2024. Food inflation rose from 29.34 per cent in August 2023 to 37.92 per cent as of February 2024. Many breadwinners have become beggars as they find it extremely difficult to put food on the table of their families.
Members of the National Assembly should be reminded that image matters in everything people do. They should think about their legacy and how history will remember them. Most times, what takes centre stage in their affairs is sharing of money. The lawmakers have clearly underperformed and disappointed many Nigerians. Their leadership should sit up. This is not a matter of partisanship.
Legislature is the livewire of any democracy. Hence, when that arm of government abandons its cardinal duty and becomes the object of ridicule, there is danger. We cannot afford to mess up this democracy. Nigerians want the senators to tell them that they are there for their welfare. They want the lawmakers to concentrate on their core duty of making good laws for good governance of Nigeria and acting as a check on the excesses of the executive.
We call for a unicameral legislature, which will be on a part-time basis instead of full-time. Most of these lawmakers contribute little or nothing to debates and other issues in the chambers. The Senate should be a place for qualitative, refined debate. There is need for decorum there. We also call for a review of our budgeting system. Constituency projects should be handled by the executive, not the legislature.
Meanwhile, Ningi’s allegation should not just be swept under the carpet. We call for a thorough and open investigation of the matter. The lawmakers should welcome this probe if they are innocent of the allegations against them. It will clear them of the poor image and guilt hanging on their necks.
