Let The Parliamentarians Remember

In any democratic government, the law-making chamber is to the democratic order what the heart is to the human body. If the chamber is malfunctional, democracy will also experience collapse. To ensure that our democracy does not suddenly collapse, the need to remind or sensitize the lawmakers to their statutory responsibility cannot be over-emphasized.

The lawmakers are always quick to resist vehemently any public condemnation of malpractices or substandard performance. The public or the citizens whose votes legitimize their election into the legislative chamber have the right to complain and criticize them for any malpractices or malfeasance. Should Nigerians blame the teachers or health workers for insecurity in Nigeria? Of course no, the security agencies would be blamed, being the statutory body charged with the responsibility to protect lives and properties. Underperformance on the part of the lawmakers would not only affect the lawmakers, but other arms of government, democracy, and the nation at large.

Let the distinguished and the honorable be reminded of their statutory responsibility of watchdog over other arms of government i.e the Executive and the Judiciary. Is it not preposterous to hear a distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria argue that there is nothing wrong in them engaging in crass profligacy of purchasing 160m SUV cars simply because the Ministers have six cars in their fleet, three of which could be land cruisers? Another Senator argued that it is the only N160m SUV car that can ply the bad roads to his Senatorial district and is appropriate for oversight function. Honestly, if these are the Lawmakers we have as distinguished and honorable to check the excesses of other arms of government, are we not in trouble? Is our democracy not on the verge of a precipice?

How can a public officer buy an official car of N160m at a time when over 60 percent of Nigerians are multidimensionally poor? This was the situation preceding the era subsidy removal. That is, more Nigerians are poorer than they were. Nigerians are still groaning under the excruciating pains of subsidy removal as many Nigerians have parked their cars including senior management officers of federal civil service, many have been laid off especially in the private sector, exodus of medical doctors to other countries due to poor remuneration and under equipped health facilities, millions of unemployed youths, the ones employed in the public sector are being paid with loans borrowed from other countries, bad roads nationwide, industries folding up due to poor infrastructure, national debt in tune of 87 trillions of naira.

Yet, politicians, some who have never in their lifetime driven cars of N5m and could be just school certificates or Advance Diploma holders want to drive cars of 160m. Habaah! There is God! It is dangerous for politicians to keep taking Nigerians’ simplicity and docility for granted.

Whilst the primary aim of this piece is not to expose the faux pas and insensitivity of Nigerian politicians, but rather to protect our democracy and appeal to the conscience of Nigerian politicians to work towards serving Nigerians rather than being served. Politics is not where you go to enrich yourself, friends, cronies, and relatives. You go into politics to serve the people, to deliver dividends of democracy that would bring about remarkable differences in terms of significant improvement in the social and material well-being of the people.

You go into politics to prove that you can serve the people better than those that were hitherto in power, not to amass wealth or live an ostentatious life at the expense of the people. That parliamentarians have power to appropriate does not mean they should appropriate so much to themselves to the detriment of other Nigerians.

The national interest and the future of the nation should dominate the consideration in the approval of any request/proposal from the executive arm of government.

The way and manner the NASS approves the request for loans from the Executive without proper scrutiny is not only a retardation in democratic order, but also antithetical to democratic norms.

In the interest of sustainable democracy, spirited and deliberate sincere efforts are made by politicians to deliver dividends of democracy.

In this democratic adventure, only politicians seem to be enjoying democratic dividends as the gaps between the leaders and the led is getting horrendously wider by the day. In tune with the present economic reality, while the people are being asked to sacrifice and tighten their belt, in the same socio-economic milieu, the politicians are living large. What a paradox!

In conclusion, the parliamentarians should in the interest of the nation put on their garb of compassion and conscientiousness shelve the ideas of suv cars of N160m and opt for locally assembled cars in the range of N20 to N30m at INNOSON MOTORS or any other indigenous vehicle assembly plant to conserve foreign exchange.

Purchase of NI60m cars at these times of economic doldrum by politicians portends insensitivity and indifference to the plight of Nigerians.

This could equally erode the moral right of the parliamentarian in checking the profligacy or excesses of the other arms of government. Shelving the ideas of purchasing SUV cars for less expensive cars that reflects the present economic reality could buoy the waning respect the public have for the parliamentarians and stem the embarrassing and increasing cases of refusal to honor the parliamentarians on invitation to appear before the National Assembly.

God bless Nigeria.

• Remi Adeleke writes from PDP QUARTERS , SULEJA, NIGER STATE

Disclaimer: This article is entirely the opinion of the writer and does not represent the views of The Whistler.