There is no gain saying that there has been no love lost between this current leadership of the National Assembly and the Executive branch of government with each going their own way, on the journey of governance of our dear country.
It is now crystal clear that the Nigerian economy and her people have had to pay dearly for the constant face-off between the two arms of government and governance has often times moved at a snail pace even as the much talked about dividends of democracy that was promised at the beginning of this administration continue to elude people of Nigeria.
President Muhammadu Buhari acknowledged this challenge earlier this year in February at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) when he declared that the frosty relationship between the Executive and the National Assembly was, in part, responsible for the slowing down of governance.
The President also agreed yhst these gace offs had made it difficult for the government to meet the expectations of Nigerisns even as he was quick to add that his administration was working to resolve these knotty issues that had clogged the wheel of progress of this administration.
Various other analysts and think-tanks have espoused the dangers of executive-legislative feud and their negative impact on the national life of every country.
Labour Leader, Comrade Issa Aremu, while offering his perspective on the subject matter said that conflicts between the National Assembly and the Executive arm of government is capable of undermining good governance and democracy in the country.
Aremu opined that rather than engage in brinkmanship; both the legislators and the executives must embrace statesmanship as a precondition for sustainable democratic process in Nigeria.
This subject is of utmost importance on the eve of Politicsl Party”s Primaries where Nigerians have another opportunity to elect those who will represent them at the National Assembly and indeed other arms of government.
Credible and experienced politicians must now be encouraged to play more active roles in the preservation and sustenance of democracy. Men and women who possess the temperament and proven track record of putting the nation first before personal interest.
While pondering about way forward ,the 7th Senate of the federal republic of Nigeria that had the likes of Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN, comes readily to mind. Speaking to journalists recently, he said the problem was that there were many unserious persons within the National Assembly.
“When I was in the Senate, we were always going round inspecting projects, do we still inspect projects?”
“I was in the Senate for three terms, out of those three terms, I was in leadership position, first as Deputy Senate Leader and then as Senate Leader.
“I was in the leadership under the Senate Presidency of Senator David Mark, there wasn’t a scandal, no rancour that became public and at some points, in the history of this country and the Senate, the Senate had to provide the needed stability in the country.”
These are serious times and the nation needs serious people especially now that the aspiration for the dividends of democracy and credible leadership is at its all time high.
The likes of Senator Ndoma-Egba must now answer the clarion call for a higher service to their fatherland at this critical time in our nation’s development.
