“Legacy is not leaving something for people. It’s leaving something in people.”
Peter strople
Frenzied of counter-intuitive and untypical events unfolding in the ninth National Assembly impelled me to opt for a recluse to enjoy my own space to ruminate about how best to serve humanity not to mention what makes our leaders tick. Because the disgraceful and shocking divulgence of information about the grubby business that is going on smoothly in the National Assembly can knock one unconscious, and even become like an intoxicated patient who is neither comatose nor organic or perhaps an apnoeic comatose patient who loss the ability to breathe spontaneously. Ninth Assembly is on course to prove each and every wretched quality ascribing to them by discerning Nigerians.
From the needles, outrageous sum of money budgeted for the renovation of National Assembly complex, to the once arrogantly and abominable showiness perhaps parading of four wives on the floor by honourable member representing Doguwa Federal Constituency, Honourable Ado Doguwa. A regrettable act deliberately consummated to justify the need to breed more nuisances in our society vis-a-vis to belittle the then statement made by the deposed emir of Kano, Malam Sanusi Lamido II who opposed polygamy amidst economic hardship.
The broad-day-light armed-robbery called passage of finance bill, down to the dramatic faint of the NDDC acting MD, Prof. Daniel Pondei, the shocking revelation by minister of Niger Delta, Senator Goodwill Akpabio, and above all the supposedly bus-station wrangle or more appropriately squabble that ensued between Honorable minister of labour and empowerment, Senator Chris Ngige and Honourable member representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, James Faleke.
For what purpose a presumably reputable arena for rigorous debate and a law-making ground successfully morphed into a theater, teeming with shrunken, self-parodying actors and wacky characters where all sorts of theatrics are performed? For which cause the people we elected to examine and challenge the work of the executive have turned out to be partners in corruption?
How comes our ostensible tribune on whom we are totally relying to check the excesses of the government through questioning, debating and committee work end up conniving with them in negotiating shady deals that can milk the nation to its knees; impoverished the ordinary citizens and consequently relegate them to professional beggars?
However, for one to represent people in a healthy political clime, one has to have a great compass-of-mind or a high intelligent quotient to convince the electorate that he can stands for so much if elected to speaks for them. This means only those who are highly qualified and properly prepared can be people representatives elsewhere.
When former President of the United State, Barack Obama contested a senatorial seat for the first time and he lose, he said and I quote: “I knew in my bones that I am going to lose.” Because he knows that his campaign line-up wasn’t well-thoght-out. In its fullest sense, preparation here means: conducting political research, speech writing, fundraising, town hall meetings etc.
While in our political landscape, successful preparation for a candidate who intend to contest for legislative seat or any elective office is accumulation of illegal wealth that can be use to buy the electorate as well as votes. The intelligence level perhaps mental-caliber of the candidate is his propensity to lure the electorates with rice, pasta, soap, detergent and so on into giving him their mandate so that he can go and exhibit all sorts of denseness and dull-wittedness on the floor should he elected.
Also the capacity of the candidate is his ability to purchase enough weed that will spur thuggery during campaign rally, on election day, and dangerous weapons like daggers and guns that will be share among the political thugs to intimidate, assault, harass, snatch ballot box and sometimes murder opponent. And the highest qualification the candidate will obtain is his wisdom to maintain a healthy relationship with his state governor. These are the requirements for contesting for an elective office and the true definition of preparation in Nigeria.
Well, if the term “legislature” is taken to mean law-making body that is meant to make reasonable laws capable of changing the lives of the electorate, then it has certainly not existed here in Nigeria and is unlikely to exist in a near future. Anomalous things that are inconceivable in a sane political clime is absolutely possible and is accommodated in ours. In this current National Assembly I have not seen anyone who is set or ready to stands as a shining symbol of the electorate accomplishment. It’s just a matter of struggle to get their own Lion share out of the nation’s treasury.Â
Nonetheless, in this National Assembly of anything goes no one neither in upper chamber nor in lower chamber has so far redefined good representation or cast himself/herself as an effective representative figure, spokesperson for the masses. Social cleavages, inequities and universal suffering have been fostering rather than ameliorating by their woeful failures to fulfill their essential requirements. It was out of their sheer in-compassionate posture, the ninth NASS heartlessly approved the government tyrannous increase of value added tax (VAT) from five percent to 7.5% which spurred skyrockets of prices of commodities to almost 60 percent.
Dear ninth NASS, you have been doing things that are not in consonance with public opinion. Do you really want to write your name on the sands of time when you come back from your long recess? If yes, then you have to change the methods of supervising the work of governments; you have to keep them in constant contact with public opinion.
You have to rekindle the process of democratically elected government which is essentially a dialogue between the rulers and the ruled; you should be able to act in support of what you believe an elective majority of your constituency desired; you have to have more access to the people you are speaking for than having more access to the heads of agencies and parastatals.
Amiru Halilu writes from Kaduna and can be reached through [email protected] or @AmiruHalilu
