Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, on Monday publicly kicked against repeated calls by Nigerians to adopt part-time legislators as part of ongoing political reforms.
Hon. Abbas, who stated this in Abuja while declaring open the one-day ‘National Dialogue on a Home-Grown Parliamentary System of Government’, however, described the ongoing advocacy by the 83 lawmakers as “timely, as it speaks directly to the aspirations of our people for a governance system that reflects our values, priorities, and cultural identity.”
He, however, noted that “a home-grown parliamentary system must not only reflect the procedural aspects of governance but also the intrinsic values, goals, and cultural nuances of the people it serves. It should be a leadership model grounded in substance, not merely in style. This, I believe, is the essence of indigenous governance; it is about crafting a legislative system that resonates with the everyday realities, aspirations, and diversity of the Nigerian people.
“As we examine potential reforms, I am aware that a unicameral system of government is often discussed. However, we must recognise that Nigeria’s vast geographical and cultural diversity poses unique demands. Unlike smaller or more homogeneous nations, our bicameral system has enabled us to balance representation across regions and ethnic groups, enhancing inclusivity and participation in the democratic process. Any significant structural change must, therefore, be carefully considered within the context of Nigeria’s complexities to avoid unintended consequences.
“Some have also suggested adopting part-time legislators. However, I must respectfully challenge this notion, as it may underestimate the profound responsibility that legislators bear. A legislator’s duties, comprising of law-making, representation, and oversight, are demanding and require substantial time and commitment. Government is not a casual endeavour; it is a serious business that demands full attention, accountability, and dedication.
“Our focus should instead be on embedding our legislative values into a homegrown model. To enhance resilience and professionalism, the National Assembly has prioritised continuous training and capacity building. Committees, leadership structures, members, administrative personnel, legislative aides, and support staff undergo consistent development programmes on diverse topics, all aimed at delivering on our legislative agenda for the benefit of Nigerians.”
While noting that dialogues like this are indispensable, Speaker Abbas, who was represented by the Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Hon. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, argued the exercises “open avenues for fresh perspectives and innovative insights, broadening our understanding and revealing paths that we may not have previously considered.
“I eagerly look forward to reviewing the report from this dialogue and the various recommendations for building a truly home-grown parliamentary system for Nigeria.”
Other stakeholders who spoke during the event averred that the American model of presidential democracy has done more harm than good for Nigeria, particularly in the last 25 years of the country’s democratic journey.
In remarks, a former Presidential Aide, Dr Usman Bugaje, who was Guest Speaker at the event, said the last 25 years of the presidential democracy had not actually given Nigerian citizens what they were expecting from their governments but rather deepened poverty, escalating security, and mind-boggling corruption.
“You look at the statistics; even if you only have to go to the World Bank or UNDP, just look at the statistics at the National Bureau for Statistics. You see how poverty has been deepening in the last 25 years.
“You look at the escalating security. I mean, 1999 was fairly peaceful despite the transition into the military. But look at what has happened 10 years later, another 10 years later, where we are now. New bandits are arriving in our own land, even as we have not quite finished with the ones that have already shown their faces.
“Mind-boggling corruption—Now, this is a very serious matter. I know it’s a bit uncomfortable discussing it. These are some of the things we prefer to sweep under the carpet, but they will keep coming up because they are a fundamental breach of democratic practices and they cumulatively undermine the political system and create a crisis, the kind of which we will not be able to recover,” he said.
The National Secretary of the defunct Action Congress, while blaming lawmakers for Nigeria’s woes, said, “Today, our parliament is not playing the role they should play.
“They have largely become rubber stamped, and they have been part of the problem of this country. You have extricated yourself from part of that image; you have come out and played that role which the Constitution has given you.”
On the proposed system of government, he said, “I like the idea of the homegrown effort. This is a very key word because if you borrow a system that has been nurtured in an entirely different history, social, and cultural environment, it will not work for you.
“You are supposed to work your own system. If we keep borrowing and borrowing and borrowing, we’ll become enslaved by ideas and systems that do not quite fit and solve our own problems. And I thought for this purpose it’s very important that we underscore the significance of this.
“When we come to look at our homegrown system, like I said, we need to broaden the discussion. One, we have to look at this as a process of reinventing our politics because our politics is really sick, is decaying, and citizens are agitating because it has not given them what they are looking for.”
On his part, Convener of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Professor Ango Abdullahi, said the country’s situation is worse under the presidential democracy experiment in the past 24 years than the four-year stint of the parliamentary system of government shortly after the Independence.
Professor Abdullahi, who was chairman of the occasion, said Nigeria’s adoption of the American presidential system was “our first mistake for us to bring a system that did not fit our history, traditions, or experience.
“Now we have experienced the presidential system for 24 years. With due respect, I think our situation is worse than under the parliamentary system that we exempted after trying it for four, five years. One of the things we did wrongly was to bring in a system that did not fit us.”
While supporting the adoption of a new system of government for the country, he said, “We should work on something. It must not necessarily be a typical parliamentary system from our former colonial masters; it could be something else. Definitely, the presidential system did not work for us, and there is a need for us to change to something else.”
While venting his view, Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki observed that the presidential system has in the last 25 years shown that this was not the democracy “we desire, nor the one our founding fathers envisaged.
“A closer look at our system reveals fractures that can no longer be ignored, dreams left unfulfilled, and gaps that beg to be filled. Now is the time to address these issues.
“Now is the time to rethink an escape route from this reality. Now is the time to set our minds on crafting a new path—a cure for the affliction that has transformed our democracy into a spectacle of pity.
“For years, we have argued and debated how to cure this affliction, but we must always remind ourselves that the core problem lies in the vehicle through which we experience this democracy: the current presidential system.
“Clearly, we need an alternative. But what should replace this presidential model—a mere imitation of the American system—must be a home-grown solution. This answer is not for any individual or group to dictate; it must emerge from a genuine dialogue among Nigerians, especially between the young and the old, the new generation and those before them.”
Also speaking, former Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, maintained that any system of government that does not entrench strict measures of accountability will not provide the needed results for the country, which is now overshadowed by poverty, insecurity, and other anomalies.
ALSO READ THESE TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
