The Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has identified high cost of governance and inherent disconnect between political leaders and the populace as the major flaws of the presidential system of government.

On the contrary, he said the parliamentary system is cheaper to run and promotes popular participation and accountability.


Ekweremadu spoke at the inaugural session of the non-partisan Enugu West Peoples Assembly last Wednesday at Udi, Udi Local Government Area, Enugu State.

The lawmaker, who has been an advocate of a hybrid of the presidential and parliamentary systems of government, said deliberations at the assembly were consciously tailored along the parliamentary system to enable the people seek direct answers from their elected representatives on issues relating to their wellbeing and their collective aspirations.

“What we are doing here is a very creative contribution to political science. For a long time, some of us opposed the presidential system for the reason of its expensive nature and disconnect between the leaders and those they are leading.

“You hardly see your ministers and commissioners. Sometimes, even when you invite them, they do not come. But what we are doing here is akin to a parliamentary system where the Prime Minister Cabinet Ministers, and other government officials regularly field questions from the parliamentarians.

“If there is a problem with roads, the Minister of Works takes questions and offers answers. If the issues relates to transportation, the transport minister is taken to task and so on. That is exactly what we have been doing today.

“What we want to do is to show Nigerians that at our own level; at the local level, the parliamentary system can work and I am happy that it is working here and we are sitting here and thinking about the welfare of our people,” he said.

The Deputy Senate President also harped on the need to focus on the youths and women in the political recruitment process with a view to producing future leaderships that are vast in experience at all levels of government.

“We are going to promote political empowerment of the youths, especially at the lowest level to nurture them for higher political leadership. That is why the average age of our councilors in Enugu West senatorial district is about 25 years. In the next few years, they would have risen to the peak with sufficient experience instead of retiring midway as those that start much later in life,” he said.

Fielding questions on the high unemployment rate in Nigeria Ekweremadu said the solution rested on vocational training and skill acquisition as government could not provide employment for all.

“That was why I facilitated the setting up of the European Vocational Training School in Enugu to offer over 20 vocational training in the areas of technique, food services and hospitality, information and communication technologies, agriculture and energy, beauty and fashion among others to create a pool of self-employed people who will employ others,” he added.

He further explained that the Governor of Enugu State, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi was working on the establishment of two industrial park at 9th Mile and Ememe, Enugu, which would be boosted with a Free Trade Zone on completion to create job opportunities for the teeming masses of the state and beyond.

Meanwhile, the inaugural session of the Enugu West Peoples Assembly was graced by the elected political leadership in Enugu West, including the two members of the House of Representatives from the zone, Hon. Toby Okechukwu and Hon. Dennis Amadi as well as the five Council Chairmen, Councillors, traditional rulers, presidents-general of town unions, and representatives of youths, women, market associations.

porka:
Nigeria does not need any parliamentary system of government.

What Nigeria needs is a good electoral system.

Parliamentary system works well where people cherish the principles of consensus building and give and take.

Nigeria is too disorderly for such a system.

Nigerians are cannot trust each other.

There is no region that can survive this system.

Imagine for a second if Nigeria were Germany where the Chancellor is still struggling to form her government after several months of election. (Note - this is not the same as Buhari taking eternity to appoint ordinary ministers.)

Italy and Japan were practically changing prime ministers every 1 or 2 years in the recent past.

Imagine the chaos and the level of instability that would have caused the Nigeria's economy.

And it is not that Nigeria has not practiced it before.

Parliamentary system was what our founding fathers started with in the 1960s shortly after Independence.

It failed woefully.

The military simply took advantage of lack of cohesion to stage their coup d'etat which led to us where we are now.

Nigerian politicians are even more unruly now than they were in those days.

The country itself is just too fragmented now, more than at any time in our history.

How would the APC have functioned in a parliamentary system with their disjointed structure where everyone is the lord?

You can argue for eternity about the cost of running a presidential system, it won't change anything. It is not that the parliamentary system too would be entirely free of costs.

Moreover, it is doubtful if there are verifiable scientific evidence (published researches/studies) supporting the assertion.

Much of the argument on cost reductions have been purely conjectures at best and wishful thinking at worst.

Nigeria needs strong electoral system and this presidential system would just be fine.

This is the 18th straight year we have been on it.

One of the main problems right now is that the traditional watchdogs - the civil society and the media - are not effective with holding Buhari to account on many fronts.

They seem to be struggling with playing their role in the age of new media or they have been bought or cowed into submission.

The Nigeria's media and the intelligentsia were most feared and indeed respected across the world.

Until they fell into Buhari and his government's spell by helping to dish out lies and demonic propaganda - becoming accomplices in disparaging people's characters.

LessNoise:
Talk is cheap!!! That's all they ever do Talk

jamace:
The problem of Nigeria is not system of government BUT the high level of MORAL decadence of the people in government, Ekweremadu inclusive.

Obijulius:
One of the few Senators who knows his salt. Always making sense that at times I wonder why smart people like Ekweremadu get involved in our tribalistic politics.

Abaribe and Shehu Sani are the other two- bright men with youthful vigor. Presidential materials.

Meanwhile Remi Tinubu is confused.

Obijulius:
One of the few Senators who knows his salt. Always making sense that at times I wonder why smart people like Ekweremadu get involved in our tribalistic politics.
Abaribe and Shehu Sani are the other two- bright men with youthful vigor. Presidential materials.
Meanwhile Remi Tinubu is confused.

Obijulius:
One of the few Senators who knows his salt. Always making sense that at times I wonder why smart people like Ekweremadu get involved in our tribalistic politics.

Abaribe and Shehu Sani are the other two- bright men with youthful vigor. Presidential materials.

Meanwhile Remi Tinubu is confused.

jamace:
The problem of Nigeria is not system of government BUT the high level of MORAL decadence of the people in government, Ekweremadu inclusive.

farem:
What really is the meaning of EKWEREMADU! I asked because as powerful as this man is in the Senate, he will never raise anything that is germaine as this

He ALMOST ALWAYS move serious motions whenever he is in the midst of some Ogogoro society!

porka:
Nigeria does not need any parliamentary system of government.

What Nigeria needs is a good electoral system.

Parliamentary system works well where people cherish the principles of consensus building and give and take.

Nigeria is too disorderly for such a system.

Nigerians are cannot trust each other.

There is no region that can survive this system.

Imagine for a second if Nigeria were Germany where the Chancellor is still struggling to form her government after several months of election. (Note - this is not the same as Buhari taking eternity to appoint ordinary ministers.)

Italy and Japan were practically changing prime ministers every 1 or 2 years in the recent past.

Imagine the chaos and the level of instability that would have caused the Nigeria's economy.

And it is not that Nigeria has not practiced it before.

Parliamentary system was what our founding fathers started with in the 1960s shortly after Independence.

It failed woefully.

The military simply took advantage of lack of cohesion to stage their coup d'etat which led to us where we are now.

Nigerian politicians are even more unruly now than they were in those days.

The country itself is just too fragmented now, more than at any time in our history.

How would the APC have functioned in a parliamentary system with their disjointed structure where everyone is the lord?

You can argue for eternity about the cost of running a presidential system, it won't change anything. It is not that the parliamentary system too would be entirely free of costs.

Moreover, it is doubtful if there are verifiable scientific evidence (published researches/studies) supporting the assertion.

Much of the argument on cost reductions have been purely conjectures at best and wishful thinking at worst.

Nigeria needs strong electoral system and this presidential system would just be fine.

This is the 18th straight year we have been on it.

One of the main problems right now is that the traditional watchdogs - the civil society and the media - are not effective with holding Buhari to account on many fronts.

They seem to be struggling with playing their role in the age of new media or they have been bought or cowed into submission.

The Nigeria's media and the intelligentsia were most feared and indeed respected across the world.

Until they fell into Buhari and his government's spell by helping to dish out lies and demonic propaganda - becoming accomplices in disparaging people's characters.