I was delighted reading Senator Olorunimibe Mamora's contribution recently to the Mynews.com column in The PUNCH, titled Re: Enslaved by elections? It was his reaction to Prof. Ayo Olukotun's earlier article on the same subject. Though many say he did his best to make an impact as a lawmaker, I would however have been more impressed if such people-oriented comments had come from Mamora during his years at the National Assembly. That is, talking of accountability, transparency, and fighting against the monster of corruption among others.
The members of the National Assembly, with all the weapons and resources at their disposal, are supposed to be at the forefront of ensuring a better society for Nigerians through the making of good laws. What we see, however, is a performance that is grossly below expectation. The desire for personal comfort appears to take precedence over legislation that will address the basic needs of the larger populace. Even for those who were known to be no-nonsense pro-people prior to climbing the ladder to the exalted position, it has turned out to be a huge disappointment in terms of the ability to effect positive change in the country. It then makes sense to assume that there is, somehow, a conspiracy of silence, something like an oath of secrecy, as we heard some time ago, sworn to by the lawmakers and which tends to dwarf and cripple the curiosity and agility of potential advocates of better life for the masses in the parliament. For instance, Nigerians are talking of capital and recurrent expenditure of the nation's annual budget being roughly between 30 per cent and 70 per cent respectively. And we are saying the way forward is to adjust the ratio by jacking up the capital expenditure so that there will be enough funds for infrastructural development. What Nigerians expect in essence from the various arms of government, especially the Legislature and the Executive, is for them to lead by example, by, among others, cutting their salaries, reducing the bogus allowances, reducing their personal staff strength to the barest minimum, reducing the frequency of overseas tours with loaded and overcrowded entourages.
The worry expressed by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Lamido Sanusi, recently is absolutely not without substance but the solution he proffered was totally anti-people. The adverse impact of unemployment in the country will worsen by applying his inhuman solution of 50 per cent job cut. One would have expected him to advocate sacrifice and comfort compromise by the members of the executive.
I feel disturbed any time I read about the constituency allowances, quarterly or whatever you may call it, accruing to the lawmakers, at the state and federal levels. What percentage of the so-called constituency allowances is in the real sense of it ploughed back into the various constituencies? Who is fooling who? These are the resources that should be channelled toward fixing our roads, improving the health care service delivery, improving dilapidated school infrastructure among other social services. It is funny when lawmakers donate sewing machines, motor bikes, food items and other items to the impoverished members of the communities and the beneficiaries start to jubilate promising to vote again in favour of the donors. Now insecurity, kidnapping, armed robbery, strikes, youth restiveness are the order of the day. The antidote to all this is simple: make sacrifice, compromise your comfort for the people to see; come up with serious people-oriented legislation that will resuscitate our ailing industries thereby providing employment for our jobless youths; remove the immunity clause so that there will be no hiding place for unpatriotic and corrupt people in government; make public office less attractive so that only people who are in for serious business of the state will find their way there.
Matthew Adeleye
Ota, Ogun State
08033280115
