OPINION: A National Assembly That Watches While Nigeria Burns

There are days when one wonders if Nigeria still has a pulse. News travels fast in this country, yet our leaders often behave as if nothing touches them. Kebbi’s missing schoolgirls have not returned and before the country has properly absorbed that tragedy, another wave of abductions sweeps into Niger State. More than 100 children were taken from St. Mary’s School in Papiri. Parents running from house to house. Communities left in fear. The nation is grieving again.

The real shock is not that criminals strike. It is that the Nigerian parliament watches all this and carries on as though the country is discussing rainfall or market prices. The silence is becoming habitual. No emergency motions with substance. No serious resolutions. Nothing resembling sustained oversight. Instead, the National Assembly has perfected a different craft entirely. It is the art of chanting for their preferred political godfather. “On your mandate, we shall stand.” They repeat it with a kind of religious enthusiasm. A legislature that should embody the country’s conscience has reduced itself to a choir backing politicians who do not even pretend to care.

Every time I hear those chants, something in me recoils. A parliament that should be interrogating the security collapse is busy performing partisan music. It is difficult to think of any other country where lawmakers celebrate defections while the nation’s children vanish into forests. The contrast is disgusting. Nigerians who still believe in the idea of a republic deserve better than this spectacle.

Some people may argue that the legislature is not directly responsible for kidnapping. That is true. But the legislature is responsible for oversight, pressure, public accountability and the moral tone of the state. When parliament fails, the entire chain of governance weakens. Security agencies stop feeling the urgency to deliver results. Ministries become comfortable issuing platitudes. Citizens lose confidence. The criminals sense that weakness and operate freely. The connection may not be mechanical, but the consequences are real.

This is why the behaviour of the National Assembly has become a national liability. It is not just their corruption or the rumours surrounding constituency funds. It is their nonchalance. Their emptiness. Their refusal to understand the gravity of the moment. Nigeria is facing a prolonged security emergency that has stretched across many administrations. Yet our parliament behaves as though it is presiding over a peaceful Scandinavian country.

The troubling pattern in these abductions makes this irresponsibility even more painful. Anyone who has observed Nigeria’s security timeline knows that major kidnappings often increase when election cycles begin to take shape. There is always a rise in attacks when politicians start plotting their next moves. It happened in 2014. It reappeared in 2018. It resurfaced before the 2023 elections. And now it is happening again. I am not claiming a grand design. The pattern, however, is too consistent to dismiss.

Election seasons create distraction. Politicians become busy with consultations. Resources are diverted to internal contests. Institutions drift. While this is happening, criminal networks seize the opportunity. They understand the rhythm of Nigerian politics. They sense the vacuum. They strike with confidence because the state is usually looking elsewhere.

This is where a serious parliament should step in. If our legislators had any sense of duty, they would treat this recurring cycle as a national priority. They would hold security chiefs to strict timelines. They would demand operational briefings every week. They would tie budget releases to clear indicators. They would initiate independent investigations into previous failures. They would insist that every school in high-risk zones be under some protective plan. They would challenge the executive openly when necessary. That is what lawmakers in functional democracies do.

Instead, Abuja’s lawmakers have made a career out of lowering expectations. Some of them arrive in the chamber as though they are checking into a private lounge. Others sit with glazed eyes, waiting for the session to end. Leadership positions are treated like bargaining chips. Committee chairmanships become vending machines for contracts. The national interest rarely appears in their deliberations. When insecurity is mentioned at all, it is usually with empty phrases and rehearsed indignation. After that, everything returns to normal.

It is depressing to watch foreign legislatures debate Nigeria’s situation with more seriousness than our own elected representatives. Just yesterday, members of the United States Congress held a public hearing on the killings of Christians in Nigeria with documented evidence. They sat through testimonies and reviewed incident data. Whether one agrees with their motives or not, the fact remains that they showed more institutional discipline than our parliament. Meanwhile, in Abuja, lawmakers were busy celebrating party defections and expected defections as though they had discovered a cure for poverty.

What message does this send to Nigerians? What does it say to the parents who have lost their children? What does it communicate to criminals who are watching the state’s reactions carefully? A silent parliament signals a weak nation. A distracted parliament signals a country where kidnappers can operate with confidence. A corrupt parliament signals a system that has lost its moral authority.

Nigeria cannot continue this way. A country where children are repeatedly abducted cannot afford a legislature that behaves like a branch office of political parties. Citizens need a parliament that works for the people. Not a parliament that treats public office as a personal upgrade. Not a parliament that hides behind chants while communities collapse. Not a parliament that waits for tragedy to pass before issuing condolence statements.

It is time for Nigerians to say this plainly. Our parliament is failing the country. Its members have become too distant from the suffering outside Abuja. They have become numb to insecurity. They have become comfortable with incompetence. Until this changes, the cycle of abductions will continue.

The people of Kwara, Kebbi and Niger States should not be mourning alone. The parliament should be mourning with them. It should be enraged. It should be pushing the executive to act. It should be offering oversight, not entertainment. It should be demanding answers, not chanting for mandates.

A nation that loses its children is already in crisis. A parliament that feels nothing in the face of that loss is a danger to the republic itself.

Nigeria must not become a country that accepts this as normal. Not again. Not this time. Our lawmakers owe the nation more than silence, self-interest and slogans. They owe us seriousness. They owe us humanity. They owe us a fight.

Ozogwu writes from Abuja.