NASS and ‘Garage boy’ scuffles

In circumstances under which our government owes both salaries and pensions, this is not only completely unnecessary, but also a slap in the face of citizens. Professor of Law Itse Sagay amongst others has expressed alarm that quite unimaginably Nigerian legislators are the highest paid in the world. True or not there is no disputing […]

In circumstances under which our government owes both salaries and pensions, this is not only completely unnecessary, but also a slap in the face of citizens. Professor of Law Itse Sagay amongst others has expressed alarm that quite unimaginably Nigerian legislators are the highest paid in the world. True or not there is no disputing that their income is incongruous with our perilous economic situation and completely out of proportion to the earnings’ of their constituents whose interests they claim to represent. It’s been severally pointed out that the wardrobe allowance of a Senator is three times the annual salary of a citizen who earns the government approved minimum wage of N18,000 per month. Quite incredulously it would take such a patriotic citizen the whole of his working life to earn the annual salary of a member of the legislature.  Although there is understandable outrage throughout the nation, some Senators like Ben Murray Bruce of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) decided to play politics with the matter. He declared his readiness to donate half his wardrobe allowance to unpaid workers in the All Progressives Congress (APC) controlled Osun State. This silly grandstanding completely ignored the fact that in Bruce’s own constituency in Bayelsa, the PDP controlled State government also owes salaries and pensions.  Expectedly the social media was flooded with abuse and criticisms of our legislators, while Newspapers and websites carried pictures of Nigerian children dressed in rags, and adults covering their nakedness with leaves, all due to a lack of money. Expectedly all this evoked no reaction and proved to be of no consequence to legislators renowned for not really giving a damn about the prevailing deprivations and widespread poverty in the nation. The question of why they require allowances to buy clothes was answered last week by members of the House of Representatives in full glare of the public.  As has become the habit in the House fisticuffs broke out and members’ clothes were torn. Regrettably this isn’t the first time. Truth be told “garage boy’ scuffling in the National Assembly has become more of a rule than an exception. It’s now abundantly clear that Nigerian legislators do not require “wardrobe allowance” because they are naked, but because if they want to actively participate in the affairs of the Assembly they are in real and present danger of having their clothes torn! Senator Dino Melaye who is in the center of the ongoing problems in the Upper Chamber was seen on TV addressing his colleagues dressed in a dapper suit. Most Nigerians recall press photographs of him in with his clothes torn when he was in involved in a fracas while a member of the House of Representatives.  Apparently we are expected to believe that it is only by virtue of the taxpayer he can still be so well dressed. There is an adage that when two people in business always agree, then one of them in unnecessary. The truth is members of the National Assembly are not expected to agree all the time. The business of legislators is to realize this fact and resolve issues through enlightened debate and superior argument. Scuffling members of the House of Representatives quite evidently don’t understand the processes of democratic decision making. The bottom line is they want to have their way by use of force regardless of what others think. They should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves. Quite disgracefully even female legislators have been involved in fighting. Many Nigerians are of the opinion that considering legislators are dressed with public funds anyone tearing their clothes should be charged with destruction of public property! Legal luminaries have pointed out that unfortunately this isn’t feasible because the actions of members on the floor of the House are covered by parliamentary privilege. It remains to be seen whether so called parliamentary privilege will prevent a member from being charged for murder if in the course of an assault he kills another member.  Quite preposterously the Deputy senate President Ike Ekweremadu said the ongoing fight in the National Assembly is “in the interest of Nigerians”. This is nothing short of an unbridled insult for which he should tender an unreserved apology. There can be no justification for the fighting. There has never been a time in which members of the national assembly exchanged blows to protect the interest of Nigerians. They didn’t fight when the Chibok girls were kidnapped. They didn’t fight over unpaid workers salaries; ASUU strike; Medical workers strike; fuel scarcity; mass unemployment; NNPC’s mismanagement, or unabated corruption. They have never been known to fight over differences of opinion on a piece of legislation.  The truth is they only ever scuffle and exchange blows over their corrupt interests. Honorable people believe in truth and doing the right thing. Not for the first time School children on excursion to the National assembly witnessed “Honorable Members’” doing the wrong thing. Time and again legislators in the House of Representatives have to be reminded that the word Honorable isn’t a title. It’s an English word defined as having to do with people and actions that are honest, fair, and worthy of respect.  Scuffling and Exchanging blows for any reason can’t possibly fit into this description.