CNPP Rejects Plans To Make Lawmakers Party NEC Members

Managing Director, Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency, Mr Noble D. Pepple (left) conferring with Chairman, House Committee on RSSDA, Hon Ibroma Kitchener during send-forth for the beneficiaries of the Rivers State Government Overseas Technical Skills Training Programme organised by RSSDA and UNITAR at the agency’s Conference Hall, in Port Harcourt, last Friday. Photo: Nwiueh Donatus Ken

The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) yesterday described the proposed law that sought to make National Assembly lawmakers members of NEC of their political parties as obnoxious.

Mr Osita Okechukwu, CNPP National Publicity Secretary, who stated this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, said the insertion of Section 87 in the Electoral Act “is self-serving and designed to undermine the Act”.

“It (Section 87) is an obnoxious insertion, self-serving and designed to undermine the Electoral Act, the Constitution and indeed democracy,” Okechukwu said.

A bill for the insertion of the clause passed through second reading on Tuesday in the Senate, and has majority support in the House of Representatives.

Okechukwu claimed the NASS members had, regrettably, been making laws for themselves, saying it is all aimed at perpetuating themselves at the National Assembly.

“They consigned the Freedom of Information Bill to the dustbin of history and are quick in passing this (Clause).

“Is it not paradoxical that the same NASS members wittingly rejected the core recommendations of the Uwais report which set an impeccable template and critical legal framework for free, fair and transparent election are today inserting obnoxious clause in the Electoral Act to protect themselves ?” he asked.

“Therefore, the clause should be deleted.”

On what would happen if the bill sailed thorough, Okechukwu said the heaven would not fall, explaining that history had shown that it is difficult for unpopular laws to last for ever.

“There is always a way to purge laws which are not intended to serve the public good,” he said.

On what would be the position of the governors on the development, Okechukwu said the PDP governors naturally would oppose the clause.

“There is cat and mouse game between the governors who control the revenue allocation, and the NASS members who have converted the NASS into a trade centre,” Okechukwu said.

Meanwhile, the CNPP has described the Federal Government’s intention to establish six more universities in the country as a welcome development.

Mr Osita Okechukwu, CNPP National Publicity Secretary, told newsmen in an interview in Abuja.

He said that it was a welcome development if the authorities could exercise the necessary political will to adequately fund both the existing and the new universities.

“It is a welcome development because I believe in human capital development, from the last count more than a million people applied to be admitted to the universities annually.

“And out of about one million applicants, the universities did not admit up to three hundred thousand, and I know that there are 104 universities going by the NUC records, owned by the Federal, State and private sector,” Okechukwu added.

He further stated that Nigerians had the resources to fund the universities, “because there is a high oil production and unprecedented oil revenue.”

Okechukwu said going by the millions of applicants it meant more universities were needed, adding however that the only limitation was whether the government was ready to adequately fund both the existing universities and new ones.

He further said that while he advocated for more admissions, it was also good to aim at quality products, adding that in the world ranking so far there was no Nigerian university among the first 500.

Okechukwu said that the poor educational ranking has shown low quality product, adding that “it does not undermine the fact that Nigeria needs human capital development”.

He advised the Federal Government should not repeat the mistake of the past where departments like history, political science were given more attention.

“We need more hands in the medical sciences and engineering, if we are able or prepared or aim to compete in the global economy.

“So if the six new universities are going to be engineering and medical oriented that would be better, because I could see the admission ratio in most of the existing universities. Most of the courses are predominately in the arts and the social sciences”, Okechukwu said.