Part-time legislative system, a way to cut down cost of governance in Nigeria

For quite some time now, both past and present government officials as well as some high profile individuals and groups in the country has been searching and asking for ways to reduce government spending in order to properly focus on other areas that needs attention by channeling the generated resources to them. Recently, the former minister of education, Oby Ezekwesili, came up with the proposition of installing a “Part-time Legislative system” as a piloting option to the entire process.

From 2005 to date, the federal government has spent a whopping sum of N1.53 trillion on the National Assembly alone, with a recurrent expenditure of N3.32 trillion, which is about 82% of the national budget and entire resources the nation has to survive upon in a year period. It is an understandable fact that every nation needs her legislative arm for the function or role they play in the embedded system. However, the Nigeria’s legislative arm instead of helping matters in the country, they worsen it.

Many of the today’s Nigerian children believe in a fair and just land. They wish and pray that things become better in the country they live in but unfortunately for them, they can do little or nothing to see their dreams come to fruition. Nigerians has trusted their leaders with everything they’ve got, but every now and then, they fail them and keep failing them. Some people have put a peg on the proposition and call it insane idea due to its demerits I suppose. However, there isn’t an idea in the world today that doesn’t have merits and demerits. All that we should concern ourselves with is whether or not the demerits exceed the merits. This should be the yardstick for which an idea like that of Oby Ezekwesili should be measured.

I am sure that by now you know that the National Assembly, both the Senate and House of Representatives, receives a whopping NGN255, 000 each for every seating they hold? Now sum that up with the total number of senators and house of representative members in the country and see what you get. Sometime in the guise of conducting series on serious national matters, they conduct more two meetings in a week. These guys in all honesty, are milking Nigeria dry and the idea of installing a “part-time legislative system” is really not a bad idea at all. Is just like a student who’s in part-time study in school, he or she don’t have any business to be in the school vicinity unless it’s time for their program or on a special invitation by his/her lecturer. Going on with this plan, that is if the government will at all look into it, it will go a long way in saving money for Nigeria, money which can be channeled to other areas of development in the country.

The idea of a “part-time legislative system” proposed by Oby Ezekwesili will limit the number of Senators as well as members of house of representatives Nigeria will have and by extension, reduce the number of seating allowances as well as the number of senators and house of representative members who will be placed on monthly salaries. If you carry out the monetary calculation of this reduction, you’d be surprise what the outcome will look like. I am almost certain that those who are currently reaping from the already existing system will never let it float let alone be tried.

I don’t know of the olden system, but in this modern age, when countries look for ways to generate money, and they wish to start by cutting down government spending, they look at angles that will not hurt their country and for Nigeria, trying out this particular idea, will not hurt Nigeria but will save her.