Members of the opposition political parties in the Senate on Thursday rejected the proposal by the delegates to the National Conference proposing a part-time legislative system for Nigeria in order to reduce the cost of governance.
Delegates at the National conference had on Wednesday, approved the recommendation of the confab’ s committee on Public Service, headed by former Head of Service , Ebele Okeke, for a part- time legislative system in the country at both the state and federal levels.
The committee had argued that the arrangement would reduce the cost of governance in terms of jumbo salaries and other mouth watering emoluments paid to lawmakers across the country under the present arrangement.
The Senate Minority Leader, George Akume (APC, Benue North West), who addressed journalists on behalf of his colleagues, however said, “Part – time legislature is not and can never be the answer to executive impunity and corruption in the country.”
He argued that executive impunity was largely responsible for high cost of governance in Nigeria over the years.
He said, “I am not surprised that such a proposal is coming from people that are not elected but hand picked by an individual for national assignment and in fact having no electoral value in the first place , to stand for and win any election.
“How will they understand and appreciate what constituted elected offices especially the legislative seats stand for in the governance of the country under democratic template.
“I do not believe as wrongly proposed by the unelected delegates at the National Confab that Part – Time Legislature would help in appreciable terms, in the reduction of cost of governance in Nigeria.
“It can not serve in anyway as antidote to executive impunity and corruption that had over the years been the cause of high cost of governance in the land.
“I am not and I believe other lawmakers are not surprised that such a proposal came from the National Confab people who were hand-picked delegates.
“In a nutshell, as far as I am concerned, such proposal cannot see the light of the day because those who put the present legislative system in the country in place, have done the right thing for the country.
“Simply put, if they actually want to change our legislative system from permanent to Part- Time sittings by elected legislators, they should all go and contest election into National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly to effect the change which unfortunately is impossible for them for lack of electoral value.”
Punch
