Lawmakers are suffering from locust mentality – Sagay

By TONY AMOKEODO

Friday, 17 Dec 2010


Foremost constitutional lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), in this interview with TONY AMOKEODO, x-rays the implication of the National Assembly gulping 25 per cent of the federal budget overhead and insists that the action of the lawmakers is unjustifiable and amounts to animals‘ penchant to consume without moderation What is your take on the recent disclosure by the CBN Governor, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, that federal lawmakers gulp 25 per cent of the country‘s annual overhead?


The question of the percentage of Nigeria‘s overhead expenditure consumed by National Assembly is a distraction. The real issue is whether lawmakers in an underdeveloped society can give unto themselves the highest remuneration in the world amongst law makers.


Do you think what the lawmakers are earning is commensurate with their lawmaking business?


You must have seen the recent comparative analysis of our lawmakers’ remuneration to other more productive sectors of the economy. According to this analysis: ”It is being speculated that it costs N290m annually to maintain each member of the National Assembly. This is happening in a country where virtually every amenity does not work and where average earning of 80 per cent of the populace is below N300 per day. Whereas the earning of a Nigerian senator per day is more than the yearly income of a doctor; it is more than the salary of 42 army generals or 48 professors or 70 commissioners of police or more than twice the pay of the United States President Barack Obama or nine times the salary of US congressional representative.”


The difference between animals and human beings is that animals spend all their lives seeking for food and feeding whilst human beings produce food, goods, ideas, inventions and other things that promote their societies and the ascent of man. In other words, animals live to eat; humans eat to live. Unfortunately, man in Africa has remained mentally, emotionally and intellectually stunted at the animal level whilst man in other parts of the world has been liberated from the animal feeding frenzy. The outcome of the latter is the development of science, technology, creation of resources and the march forward of civilisation. That is why others produce and Africans everywhere consume.


The man in Nigeria is the typical African man who has remained at the animal level absolutely refusing to grow or develop. This is what the National Assembly is daily epitomising.


All their legislation is geared towards more feeding for themselves either in terms of money, power or influence. Not a thought is spared for any legacy. The idea of adding value to the society into which they were born never occurs to them. The thought of promoting the interest of the populace and leaving this world a better place than they met it is alien to them. On the contrary, they have engaged in a scotched earth policy, leaving the country more devastated than they met it. Africa and Nigeria can never develop as long as this feeding frenzy on the part of our rulers continues.


What is happening at the National Assembly and to a lesser extent in the state Houses of Assembly and local governments is unsustainable. Our democracy cannot survive unless there is a fundamental break with this invidious locust mentality. The polity is going to be compelled to ask itself, “Can we afford this type of democracy?”


Therefore, the present legislators‘ self awarded remuneration is not only immoral and outrageous; it is in fact a crime against Nigerian humanity.


In view of the widening of locus standi on the rights of Nigerians to approach the court under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement) Procedures Rules 2009, can any aggrieved Nigerian sue the lawmakers for taking the jumbo pay in spite of the prevalent poverty in the country?


The solution to this problem is not legal. The question of bloated remuneration is a moral, ethical and political question. Somehow, Nigerians must find a way to rise up en masse and say enough is enough.


Some analysts have canvassed for the reduction of the jumbo pay. Do you subscribe to this view?


Even so the remuneration of the executive should also be monitored very closely to ensure that the gap between it and that of civil servants is not wide.


But some stakeholders are insisting that the size of the federal lawmakers is too wide for dynamic lawmaking, saying that that what we need as a developing country is part-time lawmakers. Do you agree with the assertion and what are your reasons for taking the stance?


We must go back to the First Republic parliamentary system in which parliamentarians operated on a part – time basis. We should then pay the legislators sitting allowances for their appearance in the legislative chambers to do their work. Only the members of the executive should continue to operate on a full time basis.


At the end of the day, we must begin to work towards producing a new crop of public spirited politicians whose sole objective is to serve their country and the populace and not themselves. We have to stop this riotous and unconscionable feasting on our common patrimony.


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