Following what they described as the dismal performance of the 6th National Assembly to steer the country out of the woods, political scientists in the Rivers State University of Education have set a fresh agenda for the newly sworn-in legislators.

Speaking at a one day public lecture tagged, “The National Assembly and Sustainable Democracy in Nigeria” organised by the Department of Political Science in the university, the experts the need for the lawmakers to put the interest of the citizenry ahead of their own.

A Senior Lecturer in the University of Port Harcourt, Dr. Kenneth Aaron said one area that needed to be addressed by the lawmakers is their huge allowances and entitlements, which became a matter of controversy last year.

Dr. Aaron stressed that the legislators need to cut down on their expenses as it had become a drain on the country’s finances and thereby giving room to corruption in the system.

The senior lecturer said there was also need for the lawmakers to exercise their oversight functions as spelt out by the nation’s constitution. He contended that until the legislature asserts itself it would continue to be an adjunct of the executive arm.

Also, another lecturer in the university, Dr. Lyssius Gilbert harped on the need for separation of powers, stressing that the independence of the legislature was pertinent to grow the country’s fledling nascent democracy.

Dr. Gilbert contended that why the legislative is capable of asserting its independence, it would provide strong leadership for the country and at the same time create stability in the polity.

The University don argued that as a core organ of representative government, the lawmakers should concern themselves with the welfare of the people by enacting laws that would instill transparency and accountability amongst public officials.

In the same vein, another lecturer in the Department of History and Diplomatic Studies in the Rivers State University of Education, Mr. Emmiekene Dienye noted that one of the biggest shortcomings in the country was failure to checkmate activities of the executive.

Mr. Dienye cited the case of the inability of the National Assembly to fully study the ceding of Bakassi pennisula during Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime to Cameroon.

Mr. Dienye emphasised that as long as the legislature continued to do the bidding of the executive, our democracy would be weakened and centralised.

He said the only way to reverse that trend was to elect men of integrity and honesty, as they would be capable to provide strong leadership to the law making body.

In the view of Dr. Godwin Fappa, the National Assembly must ensure some level of maturity and competency in the making of laws.

He frowned at the immaturity displayed by legislators during sitting, stressing that legislative chambers should not be made avenues of physical combat.