Written By: Simon Nwafor
There has been a debate whether or not each state should produce one Senator in the red chamber of the National Assembly, to minimize the cost of governance. However, some political analysts have argued that the policy would not solve the problem as claimed.
On the other hand, many scholars and people of prudent reasoning have severally questioned the composition of the entire National Assembly, involving the Senate and House of Representatives. They argue that the total emolument of each of the federal law maker is negatively weighing down the purse of the country. The position of this school of thought is that, even if we cut down the number of Senators and members of House Reps, and still retain their huge salaries and allowances, the effect of the reduction will not be felt.
Therefore, it is necessary to, first of all, look into the jumbo salaries and allowances of the senators and members of House of Representatives in order to cut down their flamboyant lifestyles. Hence, to reduce the cost of governance, there should be an executive bill to cut down the salaries and allowances of members of Nationals Assembly as well as that of the executive to reflect the present economic realities in the nation.
President Muhammadu Buhari should be commended, though, for directing recently that none of his Ministers or aids should travel overseas more than twice in a quarter. And even when they travel, they must not go with more than four aids. This, no doubt, will help to reduce high cost of governance in Nigeria.
Of recent, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Lamido Sanusi, was equally quoted as saying that even if the jumbo salaries and allowances of the members of the national assembly were divided into two, half of it would conveniently carter for the salaries of about seventy thousand, four hundred Nigerians earning about ninety-two thousand naira per month.
When that is combined with the people who will be gainfully employed by costs cut from Ministers and political aids in the executive arm, the result will be massive. A situation where a Senator is alleged to be earning over twenty-five million naira per month and be entitled to a car worth about fifty million naira and other benefits, while a poor man in Nigeria with family is begging to be paid N30, 000 per month to keep himself and family in the same market and society is totally unfair.
Rational thinkers believe that Nigeria’s problem is not with the three senators coming from one state. They believe that the major problem is from our leaders and their corrupt lifestyle. If Nigeria could heed the suggestion by the Emir of Kano for the elite to purge themselves of corruption, nepotism, cronyism, favouratism, ethnicity and incompetence in governance, the country would go a long way as was the aim of our founding fathers and nationalists.
So, let our political leaders help the masses fulfill the purpose of democratic governance as stipulated in the constitution. After all, God created all men equal, and He gave them certain inclinable rights; among them, right to life, Liberty and pursuit of happiness.
Citizens of Nigeria should also learn their lessons in voting the right persons, thereby abiding by the principle and teaching of world’s foremost political philosophers like Thomas Aquinas who says, quote: “Let the wise teach us, The prudent govern us, And the good pray for us”. End of quote.
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