Newsfront Online …Telling the Public as it is
The inauguration, last Tuesday 13th May 2023, of the National and State Assemblies was more than the usual event that ushers in legislatures at the beginning of every four-year term of a democratic government. It was an inauguration that came along with it some peculiarities that were not only noticeable but have also already formed the basis on which critical assessments of the performances of the law-making bodies with a view to validating or nullifying the reason(s) for each of the diverse conclusions on the assemblies can be duly made.
All the intrigues that preceded the emergence of the new leaders of, particularly, the National Assembly were both an extension of all kinds of politics–partisan, religious, ethnic and sectional—as well as a clear proof of the exceptional significance of the legislature to democratic governance. Intensive manipulation of sentiments, similar to the type that characterized the earlier phases of the entire electioneering, was obviously the most preferred strategy of almost all the numerous individuals and groups that relentlessly vied for one position or another.
Even with the open declaration of interest in Senator Godswill Akpabio and Right Honourable Tajuddeen Abbas for the presidency of the Senate and the Speakership of the House of Representatives respectively, by both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu , which is a familiar tradition, some defiant elements consistently pushed forward their demands for those positions. It was a contest that was not only fierce and protracted, but also a manifestation of the conflicting interests among the existing political sub-groups in Nigeria.
The conclusion of the process for the emergence of the National Assembly leadership which is the take-off point for the lawmakers is really a matter of tremendous importance to concerned Nigerians, especially considering the fact that the attendant rancor grossly subsided towards the end of the contest. All the varied impressions and the resultant dispositions of the citizens to all the issues about that particular competition have now been reduced to a fundamental desire for an effective discharge of responsibility by the federal legislature.
There is, in fact, the expectation that the current tenth National Assembly will fully reflect on the trajectory of law-making in the country for the purpose of the proper identification of the flaws that were rightly or wrongly associated with the past processes and systems. The fast-growing recognition of the compelling need for the maximum observance of democratic principles is re-enforcing the agitation for the existence of a legislature that can satisfy the yearnings of Nigerians.
Quite apparently, much of the blame for the low application of the principles of democracy in the course of governance at all levels in the country is directed at the lawmakers, most of whom are always accused of a corresponding low discharge of their basic legislative duties as a result of which assemblies have become appendages of the executive rather than independent bodies. There have always been complaints about the poor quality, in terms of knowledge and/or patriotism, of a lot of the members, which makes it abundantly easy for them to compromise.
This is a fact about some of the past National Assemblies on which the executive arm or, more precisely, the presidents at those times capitalized to subvert established procedures in the appointment and sack of public officers, allocation and execution of projects as well as design and implementation of policies and programmes. It is to these serious infractions that the country has continued to lose highly inestimable time and resources, thereby making the entire democracy much less beneficial to the citizens than it should be.
Somehow, Nigerians have appeared confident that the current National Assembly that is populated by a lot of highly rated members of the political class will strive hard to be an improved version of the past ones. The history of the institution since 1999 when democracy was restored to Nigeria, varying expressions of the citizens on its performances over time and the seeming favorable public perceptions about the likely tendencies of President Tinubu towards the twin concepts of the separation of powers and the independence of the legislature are definitely advantages for the current legislature.
There is, in other words, the hope or even belief that the tenth National Assembly will have no strong excuse for a low performance because the critical factors that make effective discharge of responsibility a possibility are readily available. The immense interest that the various groups of stakeholders and, by extension, all Nigerians showed in the process that produced the new leaderships of the two legislative houses are a testimony to the reasonable amount of confidence that the story will, henceforth, be positively different.
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is, by some measurements, not the very best that Nigeria should have as its president because, as one of the key drivers of the political and governance processes, he shares the blame for the far less than satisfactory operation of democracy. He is, just like all those other key political figures, a target for incessant attacks over a collective failure to ensure the full delivery of the dividends of the system to the people.
Yet, there are some of his credentials that have continued to work for him. As a struggler whose participation in the heightened agitation for the reversal of the annulment of the June 12 1993 presidential election is a public knowledge, a substantial recognition as a democracy activist has been granted to him.
He is largely not expected to indulge in such acts of subversion of the principles of democracy as the show of contempt towards legislature and other negativities, which is a clear tendency for dictatorship. The assumption that his expressed determination to make the country work in a manner that can bring about rapid and clear transformation in the lives of the people will make him to adopt strategies that can guarantee meaningful collaboration among all the three tiers of government is a very valid one.
On its part, the National Assembly is extremely required to take full advantage of the democratic disposition that is continuously associated with the president to function as a true legislative body and therefore the biggest custodian of democracy. Unity of purpose, which must predicate on the absolute desire of all the members to patriotically contribute to law-making process, should be the principle that will guide it in all its activities so that the purpose for which it exists can be served.
(leadership.ng)
