Inflation: Activist Accuses NASS Of Docility

A civil rights activist, Nze Kanayo Chukwumezie, Wednesday, accused lawmakers of the National Assembly of not being responsive to the plight of Nigerians.

Chukwumezie said by the principle of checks and balances, it was the responsibility of the federal lawmakers to interrogate some policies of President Bola Tinubu which are creating extra hardship for average Nigerians.

He said, “In the dictates of checks and balances, the legislative arm of the government is supposed to regulate the activities of the executives and ensure fiscal prudence and responsibility. But what we have is a pawn in the hands of the executive.

“Their endorsement of every financial request from the executive to take ridiculous loans and buy unnecessary things is a clear indication of the fact that they are partners in rascality and executive recklessness.”

The activist said one way to mitigate the anomaly was to make the salaries and allowances of the legislators reflect those of civil servants. He also suggested making the nation’s legislature unicameral.

Quoting him, “I have argued that the salaries and allowances of political office-holders should be made to reflect the salaries and allowances of civil servants.

“They (political office-holders) can be paid 300% higher. Also, there should be a limit of what should be used as overhead in government. This will retool their minds from simply wealth acquisition to proper legislation.

“The legislative arm should be unicameral and made part-time, or paid on sitting allowance.

“The economic realities and total lack of basic infrastructure, like roads, electricity, water, primary healthcare, security, etc should be a concern to everyone.”

He frowned at the country’s penchant for exporting her raw materials, noting that it was creating poverty and unemployment among Nigerians.

In his view, “As we sell them, we sell high-quality jobs. Then our people will migrate to other countries in droves to enslave themselves doing mostly menial jobs in industries using these materials bought from us with peanuts.

“I am also perplexed that we still import petroleum products when we are abundantly blessed with crude oil and have four refineries built by the government, and billions always spent to service them.

“It has also been said that huge salaries are being paid to workers of these refineries yet they refine nothing.”

He advised that Nigeria unbundle and give fiscal autonomy to zones to usher in true federalism.

According to him, “We already have six zones in place and they should be allowed to manage their affairs and resources, have their government and contribute to the centre.

“They can have their police, arm their vigilantes, etc but military, Immigration, Customs, foreign affairs, and currency should be under the federal government with equal representation of all zones.

“Finally, governments at all levels should hand off everything religion.”