The senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has said that the core oversight responsibility of the National Assembly of Nigeria has effectively collapsed.
CityNews reports that Ndume made the remarks during an interview with Dan’Uwa Rano TV, where he criticised the current functioning of the legislature and expressed concern over what he described as the National Assembly’s failure to properly scrutinise government policies.
The lawmaker, who has in recent times been vocal in criticising some policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, expressed dissatisfaction with what he described as the routine approval of executive proposals by the legislature.
Speaking during the interview, Ndume said the oversight responsibility of the legislature, which is meant to ensure accountability in governance, was no longer being effectively carried out.
“There is no oversight at the National Assembly anymore. We are doing nothing. The way the National Assembly is functioning amounts to nothing,” he said.
The senator went further to question the relevance of the legislature under the current circumstances.
“I don’t know which is better between its existence and nonexistence. I am one of them,” he added, acknowledging that he is also a member of the institution he criticised.
When asked whether the National Assembly itself constitutes the country’s major challenge, Ndume said the legislators should not be blamed as Nigeria’s primary problem.
Instead, he suggested that societal attitudes and values play a major role in shaping the quality of leadership.
According to him, leadership often reflects the character and values of the society that produces it.
The senator cited a religious teaching to emphasise his point about societal responsibility in governance.
“Allah says He does not change the condition of a people until they change what is within them; meaning if the society is righteous, their leaders tend to be righteous,” he said.
Ndume added that citizens must take greater responsibility in shaping leadership outcomes.
“The poor has allowed his opportunity to wither away,” he stated.
Earlier in the week, Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) at the National Assembly, Ireti Kingibe, raised concerns over the Senate’s oppressive acts against women.
CityNews reports that Kingibe, during an interview on ARISE Television, said outspoken women in the Senate are often described as troublesome.
The federal lawmaker asserted that the six special seats for women in the Nigerian Senate will not change anything, because the red chamber will remain overwhelmingly male-dominated.
She lamented that reducing the special seats to six would not solve the problem, stressing that it would not fundamentally change representation or the balance of voices in the Senate.
According to Kingibe, until deliberate measures are taken to increase women’s representation, the situation will remain the same.
