EDITO: The Xth National Assembly and the challenges ahead
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A June date is very likely for the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, after the newly elected president issued a proclamation to that effect in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution. beginnings, the frenzied jockey for leadership positions in both chambers is already underway, its complexities and the seven political parties that have produced legislators, instead of the usual two dominant ones, fascinate observers.
But overall, those are the challenges ahead of the 469 legislators, comprising 109 senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives. Their legislative agenda is awaited. The scale of the challenges does not call for the usual weak declaration of intent from leaders on Inauguration Day. With a series of crises in national security, the economy, education, service delivery, corruption and lack of accountability in governance, the work of the 10th assembly is cut short. It demands that its members constantly keep their eyes on the ball.
It also means that the pursuit of selfish interests, accompanied by obscene and undeclared allowances and emoluments, and compromises in the performance of supervisory duties, should give way to patriotism and a sense of duty. . This country, as some would say, is like a patient in an intensive care unit who needs a lot of care. The public expects this coterie of legislators to imbibe the requisite vision and mission to serve the public good.
The journey through this furnace of integrity will begin with the transparency of the selection process for their top officers, amid outlandish allegations that it is already enmeshed in the web of witchcraft. They must beware of disappointing Nigerians!
Senate confirmation of ministerial nominees for the president has been a failed ritual repeatedly since 1999. Nominees are typically submitted without portfolios attached to them, which does not allow for rigorous screening. The opposite is the case in the United States and other western democracies from which we have modeled our system. Over the years, some candidates with legislative backgrounds, particularly from the National Assembly, are usually asked to salute and leave. For the others, they are asked general questions for lack of information on their assignment project. Practice leads to putting round pegs in square holes. This jaded routine needs to change. When mediocrities become ministers through the action or inaction of a freezing legislature, the country ultimately loses.
Overall, parliamentary work requires mental rigor and legislators who are aware of the provisions of their country's constitution and body of law, in order to be effective. The way the Ninth Assembly fared on these indices is not at all pleasing. Quite often, vacant seats, lawmakers munching on something or the other, or engaging in private discussions as debates unfold, are common images. These offenses offend the sensitivity of taxpayers, who watch some of these sessions live on television. This era should go with the outgoing assembly.
It was incompetence and lack of rigor that caused the Ninth National Assembly led by Ahmed Lawan to serially approve loans to President Muhammadu Buhari's regime, used to pay salaries and cover overhead costs in violation blatant violation of the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007. , in Section 41, states that borrowing should only be used for capital expenditure and human capital development, just as Section 44(1) stresses that the government should specify the purpose of the loan. loan and that a cost-benefit analysis should be attached to the application.
Failure to meet these imperatives explains why the country's outstanding debt of $10.3 billion in June 2015, ...
As a PREMIUM TIMES reader, your opinion matters. Please complete our survey to help us better understand our readers' values and preferences. Your feedback will give us valuable insight into how we can tailor the different types of content we offer to meet your needs. The survey should only take about 6-8 minutes.
Click here to take it.
A June date is very likely for the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, after the newly elected president issued a proclamation to that effect in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution. beginnings, the frenzied jockey for leadership positions in both chambers is already underway, its complexities and the seven political parties that have produced legislators, instead of the usual two dominant ones, fascinate observers.
But overall, those are the challenges ahead of the 469 legislators, comprising 109 senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives. Their legislative agenda is awaited. The scale of the challenges does not call for the usual weak declaration of intent from leaders on Inauguration Day. With a series of crises in national security, the economy, education, service delivery, corruption and lack of accountability in governance, the work of the 10th assembly is cut short. It demands that its members constantly keep their eyes on the ball.
It also means that the pursuit of selfish interests, accompanied by obscene and undeclared allowances and emoluments, and compromises in the performance of supervisory duties, should give way to patriotism and a sense of duty. . This country, as some would say, is like a patient in an intensive care unit who needs a lot of care. The public expects this coterie of legislators to imbibe the requisite vision and mission to serve the public good.
The journey through this furnace of integrity will begin with the transparency of the selection process for their top officers, amid outlandish allegations that it is already enmeshed in the web of witchcraft. They must beware of disappointing Nigerians!
Senate confirmation of ministerial nominees for the president has been a failed ritual repeatedly since 1999. Nominees are typically submitted without portfolios attached to them, which does not allow for rigorous screening. The opposite is the case in the United States and other western democracies from which we have modeled our system. Over the years, some candidates with legislative backgrounds, particularly from the National Assembly, are usually asked to salute and leave. For the others, they are asked general questions for lack of information on their assignment project. Practice leads to putting round pegs in square holes. This jaded routine needs to change. When mediocrities become ministers through the action or inaction of a freezing legislature, the country ultimately loses.
Overall, parliamentary work requires mental rigor and legislators who are aware of the provisions of their country's constitution and body of law, in order to be effective. The way the Ninth Assembly fared on these indices is not at all pleasing. Quite often, vacant seats, lawmakers munching on something or the other, or engaging in private discussions as debates unfold, are common images. These offenses offend the sensitivity of taxpayers, who watch some of these sessions live on television. This era should go with the outgoing assembly.
It was incompetence and lack of rigor that caused the Ninth National Assembly led by Ahmed Lawan to serially approve loans to President Muhammadu Buhari's regime, used to pay salaries and cover overhead costs in violation blatant violation of the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007. , in Section 41, states that borrowing should only be used for capital expenditure and human capital development, just as Section 44(1) stresses that the government should specify the purpose of the loan. loan and that a cost-benefit analysis should be attached to the application.
Failure to meet these imperatives explains why the country's outstanding debt of $10.3 billion in June 2015, ...
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