7th National Assembly’s scorecard -By Abdul Aliyu

The National Assembly as the nation’s apex legislature, undoubtedly, occupies a crucial position in the political, economic and social reckoning of the nation as its actions or inaction has great impact on the citizenry, which is why the press beams intrusive searchlight on the conduct of the lawmakers and the happenings within the legislative labryinths.

For instance, at the commencement of the 7th National Assembly, there was much media focus on the issue of ‘jumbo pay’ for the federal legislators with some in the news media alleging that Nigeria’s legislators were among the highest paid legislators. That media controversy influenced the drastic cut in the overhead costs and other allowances of the National Assembly, particularly in the House of Representatives.

There were other issues too that came up as the senators and members assumed a more activist and proactive stance in tackling alleged waste and mismanagement in the vast MDA bureaucracy in line with their oversight functions. The Arunma Oteh/Herman Hembe saga took an ominous tone as the leadership of the House Capital Markets Committee became enmeshed in financial scandal where they were accused of receiving funds from the Securities and Exchange Commission in order to soft-pedal on their probe of the collapse of the capital markets sector.

Coming on the heels of that muddle, was the bribery imbroglio which involved allegations that the ersthwhile chairman of the House Ad Hoc Committee on Petroleum Subsidy received a certain amount of money in foreign currency from Zenox Oil chairman, Prince Femi Otedola in order to remove the oil company from the list of petroleum subsidy defaulters.

The Senate was not left out of the mesh of controversies as the Senate Committee probing the embezzlement of pension funds headed by Senator Aloysious Etok was alleged to have received financial inducement running into hundreds of millions of naira from some of the indicted pension officials in order to influence its final recommendations. As the media tug of war continued between the NASS and certain agencies of the executive arm, the ante was upped when the latter insisted on the implementation of its recommendations concerning certain public officials like Stella Oduah, former Minister of Aviation, Arunma Oteh, SEC DG, Mrs. Diezani Allison Madueke, Minister of Petroleum Affairs etc. However, the executive arm insisted that it could not carry out the recommendations carte blanche without giving it thorough and rigorous scrutiny in order not to witch-hunt public officials in their line of duty without just cause.

In all the numerous controversies and muscle flexing involving the Executive and the Legislature i.e. NASS, it must be emphasized that the administrative arm of the National Assembly headed by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa, an alumnus of NIPSS Kuru, Jos, has always kept the engine and machinery of parliamentary management running smoothly, surely and purposefully without hitch or hindrance and with all sense of impartiality and productivity. The CNA has always emphasised that politics is for the politicians while the civil servants carry out their duties and functions with fairness, transparency and accountability performance.

Maikasuwa emphasised on taking over the reins of authority, some years ago: ‘We sincerely and kindheartedly extend our hands of fellowship and brotherhood to all committed stakeholders in the National Assembly Enterprise project to collaborate, partner, synergise and co-operate with us to ensure that we promote excellence, justice, fair play, team spirit, conducive environment and progress at the federal legislature. As the common saying goes, ‘together we stand, divided we fall’. Without further rigmarole, it must be stated clearly that the rousing and highly resonating words of the CNA were no mere precepts or needless grandstanding as he has demostrated in no uncertain terms that leadership is by example and not by meaningless precepts. A solid foundation has been laid for justice, equity and fair play in all the managerial and administrative stratums of the NASS organogram.

Also, the policy of impartiality and lack of bias for any of the political factions in NASS will definitely stand the entire NASS bureacracy in good stead as the 2015 elections draw near and the polity receives some increased temperature as a result. Indeed, as the CNA leads the NASS management into 2015, interesting times he ahead as the Chinese saying goes.