naijababe:

My government studies is rather rusty but I think this suggestion is likely to move us towards regionalism and if that's what's veiled behind Tinubu's call, I agree.

naijababe:

Oh please GTFOH!!!! We have moved on

Hugoboi: As far I'm concerned, Tinubu's call for the abolition of the Senate is self-serving. Any unbiased follower of politics in Nigeria will see that the Nigerian problem is not the Senate but the Senators who have abdicated their responsiblities in pursuit of self enrichment. The legislature, of all arms of government should be the epitome of fiscal responsility but the Nigerian version has become a breeding ground for gangsters of all calling. Abolishing the Senate will be akin to throwing away the baby with the bath water. Highers standards for election into the legislature should be more stringent than what obtains today. As far as I'm concerned, certain individuals have no business being in the senate. How can one fanthom a scenario where a senator has no rudimentary knowledge of lawmaking, sits in the chamber for 8 years and does not sponsor a single bill. That is ridiculous to say the least.

As per the ACN brouhaha, I've consistently said it that both ACN and PDP are two fingers of the same leprous hand. The fact that Nigerians are fed up of PDP and its shenanigans since 1999 does not in any way grant the Tinubu and his ACN messiah status. A huge chunk of ACN members esp in the SE and SS were all disgrutled PDP cast outs and I'm forced to see the ACN as a better alternative? HELL NO!! I frankly beg to differ. As far as I'm concerned, Tinubu is building his own army and if the ACN peradventure takes over the presidency, Nigeria will be worse for it.

Katsumoto: If Tinubu is interested in reducing waste, let his party sponsor a bill demanding that NASS spending be reduced by 50% for a start.

They add no value, sleep in NASS, and earn more than the president of the richest nation. Fc.uking ridiculous.

ndu_chucks: We need our own system of government devoid of these borrow borrow oyibo institutions. Sometimes I wish our very own Sergeant Doe would emerge and force the needed restructuring of the government.

Dudu_Negro:

Even myself, honorable Chief Negro, when I piss off the Igbos I sometimes turn around and appease their bruised senses.

However, for you to carry on with her for as long as you have done , going into maybe the 10th or 11th page now since you started, speaks more against you as a man than it does to portray her in any negative manner. You are respected here as well and you have a credibility to guard......if two or three women get in here and jump on her side they will tear that image to shreds, trust me!

I am not biased.....I present it the way i see it. Do you have the fulani heads yet? .....if no fulani grab a gambari. grab ndu_chucks .

In a bicameral system, the authority of the two houses or chambers varies broadly in each country. In some countries with weak bicameralism, the upper chamber has only consultative powers. In the UK, for example, the lower chamber, the popularly elected House of Commons, has evolved into the superior legislative power, and its decisions override those of the upper chamber-The House of Lords. In the U.S. system, however, both chambers pose equal or offsetting powers and legislation must be approved by both. In Canada, the House of Commons has most of the power, but the Senate can amend legislation and investigate policy questions. In Germany, which has a federal system, states’ interests are represented by the upper house in the German parliament (Bundesrat), the members of which are appointed by the respective state governments. While their legislative powers are not as strong as those of the lower house, the Bundesrat has the final say in disputes among states and between the states and the federal government.

In centralized states with bicameral systems, some countries use the upper house as a way to reserve representation for certain societal groups and/or to place a further check on the power of the lower house with a more conservative body. For example, the House of Chiefs in Botswana is made up of elected and appointed members of traditional ethnic groups. The House of Chiefs plays a limited role but must be consulted on proposed changes to the constitution and on tribal matters. In Burkino Faso, the upper house (Chamber of Representations) is a purely consultative body designed to provide a voice for different regional and social groupings. It consists of 178 appointed and indirectly elected members, including representatives from elected provincial councils, women’s associations, traditional leaders and other civil society organizations.

Upper Houses are usually chosen in one of the following ways:

- direct elections -- voters cast their ballots directly for a specific candidate or party (US)
- indirect elections where voters elect local or provincial governments, who in turn select the upper house members (Argentina, Austria, German, India and Yugoslavia);
- indirect elections whereby the lower house selects the upper house (Zimbabwe);
- appointment by the head of state (Canada, Jordan and Thailand); and
- inheritence (UK -- the majority of members in the upper House of Lords are hereditary peers).

[size=13pt]Following are some advantages cited of the bicameral system:

- It has the capacity to formally represent diverse constituencies (regional, class, ethnic, etc.)
- It hinders the passage of flawed legislation (one chamber can act as a check upon the other)
- With two legislative bodies, there is enhanced oversight of the executive branch.[/size]

Unicameral Chambers

One-chamber or unicameral legislatures have most often been established in countries with a centralized, or unitary structure and in small, more homogenous countries. Countries with unicameral systems include Costa Rica, Portugal, Hungary, Iceland, Sweden, Slovenia, Uganda and New Zealand. While constitutional structures have varied a great deal in countries that have transitioned to democratic systems over the past decade, one trend that seems fairly consistent is that smaller countries chose unicameral legislatures. This has occurred in all of the smaller Eastern European countries, with the exception of Ukraine. In a few cases, electoral provisions have allowed for one chamber to represent various points of interest. For example, Slovenia’s constitution guarantees certain ethnic minorities one seat each in the unicameral National Assembly. In Uganda, a parliamentary seat from each of the 39 districts is reserved for women in the unicameral legislature, and seats are also set aside for such groups as handicapped and salaried workers.

[size=13pt]Advantages of a Unicameral System:

- There is the potential to enact proposed legislation more rapidly, since differences don’t have to be reconciled by two chambers.
- There is the potential of greater accountability, since only one body is responsible for legislation.
- It is less expensive to maintain one body and fewer legislative members.[/size]

Eko Ile:

With so much vitriol and anti Tinubu/ACN rhetoric, I don't think you really care if the man made sense or not. You are your own worst enemy.


NEXT...

PhysicsQED: What a thread!

Both sides provided some enlightening posts and some entertainment. I doff my hat to you guys.



@ the actual topic, both unicameral and bicameral legislatures have their advantages:

http://mirror.undp.org/magnet/Docs/parliaments/Legislative%20Chambers.htm



In light of the above, I think a unicameral system would actually be better in Nigeria's case. I think the advantages of having only one chamber would be more useful than the advantages of having two at the present time.

asha 80: katsumoto i think we have had this argument before.for us to have a restructuring of this country there has to be monumental crises of the nature of pre-67 or June 93 effect before it can happen.expecting political leaders existing within the present political structure to change it is like wishing pigs would fly.

Hugoboi:

The issue isn't whether he made sense or not. The issue lies in his motives and I daresay they are suspect.

With regards to the sense in his statement, I frankly don't see any. Every nation in the mordern world needs a law making institution and I don't see how Nigeria's case should be different. Nigeria operates a constitutionally enshrined Federal system of govt and such requires a bicameral legislature. The legitimacy of such a system of govt as it applies to a multi tribal nation like Nigeria is an argument for another day. Calling for an outright abolition of a statutory body like the Senate amounts to bare faced ignorance of the workings of government.

My point is that Tinubu is a public figure who ought to have competent advisers. Such a comment is ridiculous to say the least. Every organ of govt even in the most advanced countries has problems. U don't see americans ask that the US Marines be abolished cos their soldiers are involved in abusing prisoners of war.

Rather than making such a populist statement, Tinubu should be talking about how to sanitize the Senate and weed out the bad eggs giving it a bad name with a view to moving the Nation forward.

asha 80: katsumoto i think we have had this argument before.for us to have a restructuring of this country there has to be monumental crises of the nature of pre-67 or June 93 effect before it can happen.expecting political leaders existing within the present political structure to change it is like wishing pigs would fly.

fagamite: Katsumoto has been on this page all day long.

Egbon Adete: Did you spoil your boss' wara or something?

Katsumoto: If stakeholders are unable to voice their concerns, frustrations and opinions on an anonymous forum such as this and are attacked by party faithful, how then do the party faithful question/challenge the leadership?

Katsumoto:

I understand your predicament.

People who ONLY access the Internet from libraries, cybercafes, and adult education centres are unaware of the benefits to owners/users of smartphones, tablets, and PCs at home/work who may be away from their desks/office/home but still have a page/tab opened on a websites.

Katsumoto:

I understand your predicament.

People who ONLY access the Internet from libraries, cybercafes, and adult education centres are unaware of the benefits to owners/users of smartphones, tablets, and PCs at home/work who may be away from their desks/office/home but still have a page/tab opened on a websites.

fagamite:

Dude, not everyone can afford smart phones. When you are 99%er and belong to the non-tax paying 47% who vote for Obama no matter what, you more often than not do not have a basic understanding of/access to smartphones & the technical workings of PCs. So dont blame me, blame the 1%er like yourself for not spreading the wealth around.

###person!

Eko Ile:



Sorry to burst your burble, Nigeria is not America and what Nigeria is practicing today is not federal system of government. Don't mix illusion with reality.

Hugoboi:

Nigeria is not America but botj countries run a system of government which is 95% similar.
Please tell me what system of government Nigeria is running, Mr teacher?
The reality here is that u really don't seem to grasp the mechanics of government. If u think Nigeria isn't running a federal system of government, then we shouldn't be having this conversation.

Demdem:

On paper, what we have is a federal system but in reality its what I prefer to call autocratic federal system.

alj harem:

Gbam it is the same autocratic system Tinubu is using so not only the FG but also so called "Asiwajus"

Akanbi_edu: Ah ha.



So this thread brought you out, You must be a fanatic of Tinubu, like me. LOL

alj harem:

Yes my brother it brought me out. It drives me crazy when I see people trying to glorify one of the most corrupt individual in SW.

Akanbi_edu:

Crazy, pele. You will eventually join me in praising Tinubu alj.