Nigeria Is Working?

When the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the National Assembly, reconvened on a Sunday in the history of Nigeria to address the imminent impasse in the nation as a result of the January #occupyNigeria, #fuelsubsidy and Nigerian Labour Congress protests, one would have thought that there was a paradigm shift in the debate for Nigeria first above individuals and political interests.

The previous week we had the National assembly on holiday as the ruling party, Papa Deceive Pickin prepared for its national party convention, with the majority gone, both the Senate and House of Reps were on self-derived recess. Likewise in some states where Papa Deceive Pickin held the majority in the state house of assemblies, the members were all away to their constituencies. Hence the mandatory absence from duty posts. They will be quick to justify their actions because political party convention is one the requirements of the law, as well as building a strong internal democracy.  Well the end justifies the means with Papa Deceive Pickin producing a 60-year-old youth leader.

What happens when other political parties decide to have their annual conventions, another holiday? It is about time the National Assembly harmonises its calendar with all political parties on the need for party conventions to fall within certain scheduled breaks of the National assembly and not legislative weeks.

This week it is the turn of the Asiwaju Conglomerate of Nigeria senators and house of reps members to abscond from their primary duty at the National Assembly for the much awaited, sensationalized and grand birthday of their leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Jagban of ????. Anyway titles are irrelevant, but all roads lead to Lagos for what I call Eko O ni Baje Owambe weeklong event, the mass of exodus of legislators to Lagos cannot be questioned or else one will not be deemed to be an omoluabi. The South West governors {except Mimiko of Loners Party} with respective members of House of Assembly, politicians and associates will be there to mark attendance register.  Who does not want to run for second term in 2015? They must have bought their Aso Ebi by now. There is no debate; Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu should be celebrated by his peers, admirer, political party and well-wishers but at what cost to the public and the treasury?

Invariably, the National Assembly will be on another impromptu holiday for the week with their Easter holiday commencing, they will be back by April 16^th.  3 legislative weeks wasted with recourse to public funds, I dare to ask who will question them, and after all they fix their wages and allowances at will while their in-house committees collect funds from government agencies they oversee without accounting for it. As you can see Nigeria is working courtesy of these legislators who live above us.

We still have to work on the role of institutions above individuals, the collective responsibility of the nation entrusted in the hands of elected public office holders, should be put to better use for the sole purpose of Nigeria and Nigerians before other concerns.

This would have been a great opportunity to increase government revenue if we were to go by the opinion of the piquant Feyi Fawehinmi of the Aguntasolo blog, who once said on twitter that it is about time we have feferity tax in Nigeria. From the after Papa Deceive Pickin convention congratulatory ads to this week’s Eko O ni Baje Owambe ads, the government would be smiling to the bank but then “won fi owo abu se abu lalejo ni”.

Or my crazy thought, If we can buy tokunboh helicopter for the army, why cant we buy 2005 tokunboh camry for all our legislators including the Ministers to save cost.