L-R: British Foreign Affairs Secretary, Mr William Hague, President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic, President Idris Deby of Republic of Chad, President Goodluck Jonathan, President Francois Hollande of France, President Paul Biya of Cameroon and President Boni Yayi of Benin Republic, at the Paris Summit for security in Nigeria at the Elysee Palace in Paris, last Saturday.

Some prominent lawyers and lawmakers in Lagos yesterday endorsed the proposal by the ongoing National Conference for Nigeria to operate a part-time unicameral legislature.
They told newsmen that the suggestion, if approved, would reduce the cost of governance drastically and foster economic growth and development in the country.
A unicameral legislature is a representative form of government with a single legislative chamber.
Nigeria currently operates a bicameral legislature with the Senate and the House of Representatives which constitute the National Assembly.
A National Conference delegate, Chief Mike Ozekhome SAN said the current system was a waste of funds and a duplication of efforts and roles.
Ozekhome said: “It is a waste of funds because the amount of expenditure incurred by Nigeria on recurrent matters as against capital expenditures is up to 75 per cent of Nigeria’s annual budget.
“No country in the world can ever grow or develop along that kind of primordial line. I totally believe that Nigeria should operate a unicameral legislature. We should just have 109 senators representing the various senatorial zones.”
He said those insisting on continuing with a bicameral legislature should concede to sitting on part-time basis with allowances only.
“Once our legislators stop receiving jumbo allowances, you will see genuine patriots who really want to work for Nigeria aspiring for elections to go and serve us at the National Assembly.’’
The Executive Director, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), a rights advocacy group, Adetokunbo Mumuni also shared Ozekhome’s views.
“I will always support whatever will reduce the cost of governance because we are spending so much on that.
“As a matter of fact, I recommend part-time sitting for our lawmakers. This will put an end to political violence and electoral malpractice because only those who have the interest of Nigeria at heart will be attracted to the job of legislating for the country,’’ he also said.
On his part, a former Chairman of the Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Onyekachi Ubani said that ordinary Nigerians had not benefited from the current bicameral system.
Ubani noted that the huge resources being spent by the country for servicing members of the National Assembly could be used for the provision of infrastructure for the benefit of its citizenry.
“We are spending so much on this democracy,” he said, suggesting that the masses should benefit more from it.
However, some members of the Lagos State House of Assembly (LAHA) said yesterday that the present bicameral legislature operating at the Federal level was  strengthening political checks and balances in the system.
But a cross section of others have disagreed sharply, saying that the unicameral system would reduce the cost of governance and save scarce resources for investment into infrastructure and economic development initiatives.
The lawmakers, who spoke to newsmen said there was nothing wrong with the present system, adding that the bicameral system brought growth to the country’s democracy.
The Deputy Speaker, LAHA, Mr Taiwo Kolawole, told newsmen that there was nothing wrong with the system but urged the Senate to improve on its performance.
Kolawole said that the roles of the Senate in Nigeria’s democracy could not be overemphasised as the house had many functions as stipulated in the constitution.
“A bicameral legislature increases the standard of our democracy in the country because the senate plays constitutional roles in the nation’s democracy.
“It is when we change to a unicameral system that we will know the function and quality of the state representation.
“The only thing the upper house needs to work on is that of their performance,’’ he said.
Another lawmaker representing (APC-Alimosho I),  Bisi Yusuf also told newsmen that the problem Nigeria has was not that of a bicameral or unicameral system, but effective governance.
Yusuf, the chairman, Committee on Transportation, Commerce and Industry, said that if the country changed to the unicameral system, without good governance, it would not bring any change to the nation.
Another lawmaker, who represents (APC-Ojo I), Lanre Ogunyemi said that the current legislative structure suited the presidential system of government practised in the country.
Ogunyemi said that there was nothing wrong with the system as the current constitution could be amended to allow the senate operate on a part-time basis, in order to cut the costs of governance.
“I don’t support scrapping the senate because the two houses check the excesses of the executive, in other words they help to make our democracy stronger,’’ he said.
In his contribution, the Chairman, House Committee on House Services and Special Duties, Ahmed Omisoore said that the parliamentary system of government would be suitable for Nigeria’s democracy.
Omisoore (APC-Ifako-Ijaiye II), said that if the country could change to a parliamentary system, the problem of high cost of governance would be resolved.
The lawmaker said the problem the country was running an expensive presidential system, with a bicameral legislature.
“We should streamline with one legislature and go for a parliamentary system. I will be happy if the confab recommends such a system by going back to the parliamentary system of government,” Omisoore said.
It would be recalled that the National Conference Committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government on May 13, recommended a unicameral legislature for the country.
The committee said that the current bicameral set up was unwieldy and had not made for effective legislative process in the country.