By Ogbeide Ifaluyi-isibor
Today,Nigeria is popular for brandishing all manner of Homosapiens in the National Assembly, from those who are in the business of sleeping during plenary, to those in the business of cracking jokes and laughing during plenary, to those who can’t make sentences with proper tenses, to those who have never read the constitution, to those who do not understand the ethics and ethos of law making and ofcourse to those who are in the business of never attending sittings.
We have made all sorts legislators and have appended the prefix Senator and Honorable to funny characters,We have elected weak men and women on the basis of how deep their pockets are and not how deep their reasoning faculties are.We have elected fat cats who became hyenas and we expect these ones to make laws for the progress of our nation and take care of our goats while we stand aloof with arms akimbo wondering why Nigeria has remained the black sheep amongst oil producing nations far at the bottom of the totem pole,we wonder why pro people legislation take decades to go through readings and die tragic deaths after all the trouble.not to talk about the adults with the brains of toddlers who fight in the full glare of the camera on floor of law making making mockery of common sense. Can we introduce some intelligence into our legislature!
As 2019 beckons, can we ensure that we mix some intelligence in our politics so we can have smart men elected into the State and National Assembly? Can we agree to interrogate their mental acuity, titillate and titivate and if you like tintinnabulate their intelligence quotient, Can we agree to purge and prune our legislature of jokers and twisted men going forward, Can we agree to encourage men and women who have subscribed and subjected themselves to some education and enlightenment, the composmentis ones who will be law makers and law makers indeed,who will see the legislature as the life wire and backbone of our democracy and independence, who will really be distinguished Senators and Honourable members ,Can we introduce some intelligence into our legislature.
Shamefully but truly and wrongly so,less than 10% of our National Assembly members have regular town hall meetings with members of their constituencies.The interaction,engagement, communication and cross pollination of ideas between the law maker and their constituents exist not,how then are they expected to represent us appropriately when they are not reachable and accessible. When they are reachable and accessible the constituents go lying wait at their door begging for alms instead of putting them on the spot light demanding to be told what’s in it for their constituency at the centre. No wonder we have legislators who will do us well by keeping quiet than to initiate nonsensical bills and motions that are anchored on sheer ignorance ,only for them to return to the locals once in a blue moon to share indomie,Keke tyres and sewing machines to disillusioned constituents who even worship the legislators when alms are tossed at them like lepers.Can we introduce some intelligence into our legislature.
If we can’t stop the fat cats and the hyenas from running, can’t we run against them then! It is not better you tried and failed than not to try at all! Can we introduce some intelligence into our legislature!
