Government waste: The Oransanye panel recommended the scrapping of some unnecessary government agencies, which I support. I would take that further by proposing some cuts to the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly.
The constitution should be amended to limit the maximum number of ministers to be appointed to between 20-24. The present scenario whereby the President appoints over 40 ministers is a severe drain on public funds. The clause which states that minister should be appointed from all 36 states should be deleted; in it's place, there should be a maximum of 4 ministers appointed from each geo-political zone. In addition, the President should issue a directive to his ministers, limiting them to a maximum of 2 aides who can be paid from public funds.

In the National Assembly, at least 100 seats in the House of Representatives should be cut. This would bring the number of seats in the chamber to 260. Also, the number of seats in the Senate should be reduced to 72, meaning that 28 Senate seats would have to be cut. Two Senators can represent each State, instead of the current Constitutional provision that grants 3 Senators to each State. The total income of a NASS member shouldn't be more than 3 million naira per month. A caveat to this provision would be that the leaders of the National Assembly-Senate President and his deputy; and the Speaker of the House and his deputy could earn a little more than their colleagues.
The present scenario in which a member of the House earns around $900,000/year, and a Senator, over $1 million/year is absolutely unacceptable in a developing country such as Nigeria.



To be continued

Another touchy subject in Nigeria is the incidence of "VIP movement" at the airports. Commercial pilots are usually put in a 'holding' pattern by ATC whenever a VIP's plane is about to touch down. It seems all manner of officials-from the President, Vice President, NASS members, Governors etc all enjoy this privilege.
I would advise the NCAA to only designate both the President, vice president and foreign heads of state/head of government, as the ONLY individuals to enjoy such a privilege in Nigeria's airspace. Afterall, here in the US, ONLY the president enjoys such a privilege.
Also, the FG could set up Air force bases in Abuja and Lagos which would cater exclusively to the Presidential fleet and to planes of visiting Heads of State/Government. This would ensure that no commercial plane (which may require emergency landing) isn't put in jeopardy.

Can I ask a few questions?

texanomaly: Can I ask a few questions?

Sure

What exactly do Ministers do? What is their function?

Sorry for my ignorance. In America we do not have such, unless they are called by a different name here.

texanomaly: What exactly do Ministers do? What is their function?

They are just like cabinet secretaries in the US- they are dept heads (ministry heads) who help the president formulate policy in specific areas

CFCfan:
They are just like cabinet secretaries in the US- they are dept heads (ministry heads) who help the president formulate policy in specific areas

Ok. The reason I ask is that I'm wondering with these cuts you are proposing, especially those in the National Assembly, will there still be proper representation for all citizens in all areas? Does this decrease jeopardize the right to representation of any citizen? Am I making any sense?

Will all citizenship be represented effectively with such a change? The Change in the number of Ministers sounds like an efficient change. I wonder about the other though. I am big on individual and territorial rights and, I'm just curious.

If some areas are not properly represented because of this cut, it would not be very democratic would it? Every region should have proper representation. Wouldn't you agree?

texanomaly:

Ok. The reason I ask is that I'm wondering with these cuts you are proposing, especially those in the National Assembly, will there still be proper representation for all citizens in all areas? Does this decrease jeopardize the right to representation of any citizen? Am I making any sense?

I believe there will still be enough representation, because there are also State Houses of Assembly (State level). The H of A are the state legislative bodies.

CFCfan:
I believe there will still be enough representation, because there are also State Houses of Assembly (State level). The H of A are the state legislative bodies.

Do they have sufficient power to make a difference on a National level?

texanomaly:
Do they have sufficient power to make a difference on a National level?

They could. Infact, as the legislative body closest to the people, the reps at state level should be in a better position to address local concerns

And does your plan involve decreasing the numbers on a state level as well?

CFCfan:
They could. Infact, as the legislative body closest to the people, the reps at state level should be in a better position to address local concerns

Ok. Thank you for your help. Just checking. I will do some more research. Can I come to you if I have further questions?

texanomaly:
Ok. Just checking. I will do some more research. Can I come to you if I have further questions?

Yeah, you can.

texanomaly: And does your plan involve decreasing the numbers on a state level as well?

I'll look into my State of origin later

CFCfan:
Yeah, you can.

Thanks

CFCfan:
I'll look into my State of origin later

I look forward to your analysis.

texanomaly:

I look forward to your analysis.

Okay.

texanomaly:
Thanks

You're welcome.

The most important questions here are:
What constitutes a Senatorial Zone in Nigeria?
In Nigeria, a senatorial zone is simply one-third (1/3) of a state! Each state, regardless of population has 3 senators. So you can have a state like Lagos or Kano where each Senator represents almost 4 million people, whereas in Ekiti or Jigawa each Senator represents 700 thousand people or even less.

Is this proper representation?
Surely not! Otherwise this would mean that the voice of 4million people in one state is equal to the voice of 700 thousand in another. Accurate and fair representation is by population. And I mean the RESIDENT population, not how many people claim a place as State of Origin.
Example: The population of Lagos is huge, but the population of people from Lagos is relatively small!
And remember, you are not represented by the person in your State of Origin but in your State of Residence!
Need evidence?: Check your voters card. If you are from Imo and are registered in Lagos, you can only vote for Lagos Gubernatorial/Senate elections and not for Imo!


Is having 36+ ministerial posts useful in any way, shape or form?
No. Because it means that 36+ ministerial positions must be available. If a 37th state is created, then another ministry or post will have to be created, BY LAW! Inherently wasteful!

Simply put, representative government that we supposedly practice cannot function properly by random numbers - 3 senators each, 2 aides each, 4 whatevers from each geo-political zone, etc, etc.

Please note that I'm referring to the Federal Level of Government. State Govts are not to bound by these illogical constraints, and can create State Ministries as need arises.

^^
But there is no need to have 3 senators representing each state, two will do.

I agree that House of Reps members represent residents in their respective states, but again, is it necessary to have 360 members? The National Assembly alone has been allocated over N1 trillion in the last 7 years; this year, they were allocated N150 billion (almost $1 billion!).

The revenue accrued to the FG is disproportionately spent on the maintenance of the political office holders and the maintenance of an over-bloated federal civil service. Imagine that capital expenditure is less than 40% in a developing country.

CFCfan: ^^
But there is no need to have 3 senators representing each state, two will do

Why two? Why the random numbers? Its the same thing with House of Reps members. Why the random numbers?
Remember a Senator/House of Reps member is a representative of the POPULATION. Some states need only one Senator!
The number of REPRESENTATIVES should be based on the number of people he/she is REPRESENTING - i.e the RESIDENT POPULATION. - not a random number of 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 9!

The way you came to the number of 2 Senators is the same way the constitution writers came to the number of 3 Senators - its just a random number applied across board! Unless you are able to explain how you arrived at your suggestion of 2 Senators?

This discussion can even help us think through the topic 'What constitutes a State in Nigeria?' but I don't ant to hijack your thread
View response from previous post

eledalo:

Is this proper representation?
Surely not! Otherwise this would mean that the voice of 4million people in one state is equal to the voice of 700 thousand in another. Accurate and fair representation is by population. And I mean the RESIDENT population, not how many people claim a place as State of Origin.

Simply put, representative government that we supposedly practice cannot function properly by random numbers - 3 senators each, 2 aides each, 4 whatevers from each geo-political zone, etc, etc.

eledalo:

This is exactly what I said when I wrote


Why two? Why the random numbers? Its the same thing with House of Reps members. Why the random numbers?
Remember a Senator/House of Reps member is a representative of the POPULATION. Some states need only one Senator!
The number of REPRESENTATIVES should be based on the number of people he/she is REPRESENTING - i.e the RESIDENT POPULATION.

This discussion can even help us think through the topic 'What constitutes a State in Nigeria?' but I don't ant to hijack your thread

No wahala on that.

I chose 2 Senators because of the primary need to cut down the cost of running the FG. In the US, 2 senators represent each state.
Also, the number of Senators representing each state shouldn't necessarily be a reflection of a State's population, the number of members in a State House of Assembly should instead be based on a State's population.

CFCfan:
The number of members in a State House of Assembly should instead be based on a State's population.

Then how do you ensure fair representation at the FEDERAL level? As I said earlier, States are not subject to these illogical constraints but the Federal level is something else. And what worries me is that it is the law!

CFCfan:
I chose 2 Senators because of the primary need to cut down the cost of running the FG. In the US, 2 senators represent each state.

I feel you on the cutting down on Federal Govt costs. But I'm not a fan of copy-paste solutions. We might as well create 50 states, just like US in that case.

^^
Definitely not in favor of creating more States.

@ eledalo
I have questions, but I am at work, and need more time to properly address them. I'd like to do so tomorrow, if you don't mind? Thanks in advance.

The discussion between the two of you has answered many of my questions. This is an interesting thread. It would be even more interesting, if it were opened up to more opinions. The thread should be on front page, so more people can add their two cents. Yup...Good stuff here.

Are you reading this Mod?

I'm not on NL everyday but post them either way. I'll post a response next time I log on, and I'm sure others will be happy to share their own thoughts and info.

texanomaly: The discussion between the two of you has answered many of my questions. This is an interesting thread. It would be even more interesting if it were opened up to more opinions. The thread should be on front page, so more people can add their two cents. Yup...Good stuff here.

Are you reading this Mod?

Thanks. I just want the country to have a system whereby college students can have access to education grants; and the institution of a social welfare system. Already, the Federal government is embarking on a national ID card program, which will collate all the bio-data of Nigerian residents.

eledalo: I'm not on NL everyday but post them either way. I'll post a response next time I log on, and I'm sure others will be happy to share their own thoughts and info.

Thanks.

This thread should be on front page.