‘Nigeria Can’t Manage House Of Reps, Senate’ – Expert

A state coordinator of New Partnership for African’s Development (NEPAD) has advocated for the need for only one arm of the National Assembly effective democratic governance in the country.

The coordinator, Mr. Opuada Danagogo who gave this assertion during exclusive interview with The Tide On Sunday at the weekend in Port Harcourt, noted that apart from the harmonised version of the Electoral Bill 2010 in the National Assembly, after much twist, the two legislative bodies have never set the nation on a part of true democratic process for the benefit of the masses.

He suggested that the House of Representatives should be scrapped and few members collapsed into the Senate, adding that the existing ones presently constituted is a drain pipe on the resources of this country.

According to him, we embraced United States of America Presidential system of government, when in perspective, we have no ideological or National identity in place to effectively handle the octopus system.

Danagogo said anchoring Nigeria peculiar nature on the democratic governance of United States presidential system is unrealistic.

He explained that he considers throwing his weight behind Professor Chukwuma Soludo, former governor of Central Bank (CBN), that suggested that either the House of Representatives or the Senate should be scrapped for effective legislative process.

In his words: Many people especially politicians took a swipe at the suggestion, but today, it is dawn on the country that the two bodies hardly harmonise bills for the interest of the masses.

Danagogo further said, the principal conception of the legislative arm is for peace and good governance, but the predominantly impoverished people of this country are rather witnessing half baked lawmakers, who went to the National Assembly for their own selfish interest.

He noted that it is impossible to see the underlining logic of the argument of Professor Chukwuma Soludo with the political machines fuelled by godfatherism, financiers and politicians being elected into office, as if it is an end in itself.

He observed that the House of Representatives appears to be for the ‘middle class’ while the Senate for the ‘upper class’, in a country where elites have zero tolerance for the poor.