…hero worshiping now dominates legislative business
By Emman Ovuakporie
The ninth Assembly is fast becoming a praise and worship centre devoid of miracles and the usual casting out of evil spirits.
From all indications it may soon start casting out demons or insert demonic clauses in the act of law making.
The opposition leader in the Senate, Senator Eyninnaya Abaribe aptly captured it when he described the Senate presentation of the 2020 Budget as a praise and worship affair.
This is definitely an unsual Assembly where presiding officers are praised to high heavens before a Lawmaker makes his submission.
In the House of Representatives, the opposition leadership are guilty of same offence.
The party less opposition leader Hon Ndudi Elumelu has adopted an unusual style of praising the speaker and if given the opportunity he would even dance before making his submission.
In most cases, he starts by describing the presiding officer as the most humble Nigerian and most respected lawmaker probably in the whole world before making his submissions.
It’s unfortunate that the leader of the opposition who is expected to lead his members to a connotative warfare is already praise singing the leader on the other side.
If the APC/ACN lawmakers in the 7th Assembly had adopted same style probably by now they would have remained in opposition.
The legislature played a significant role to bring the PDP to its knees before the 2015 general Elections.
Little wonder, the All Progressives Congress, APC called on Nigerians to start looking for another credible opposition party.
An opposition that could weather the storm as the ACN under the leadership of Femi Gbajabiamila in the 7th Assembly tried and eventually succeeded.
Can the present crop of praise singing opposition members dare to voice all what Gbajabiamila dared in the 6th and 7th Assemblies?
The answer is a capital NO! as the present opposition particularly in the House is lilly livered.
An opposition that dines and wines with the ruling party can’t make any meaningful delivery.
In the 7th Assembly, apparently disappointed by the then government on its economic policies, Gbajabiamila had threatened to shut down Government and even went a step further to say opposition would start throwing articles of impeachment if nothing was done.
Other lawmakers have adopted same approach to deliver their presentations by praise singing presiding officers.
Most guilty is the Mouth piece of the House, Hon Benjamin Kalu who has continued in the most embarrassing manner to other lawmakers.
His style to say the least is the manner he makes his presentation praising his presiding officer to high heavens though he copiously copied the style from the opposition leader.
Must Kalu bow and tremble to ensure his bill or motion scales through if he does not praise his presiding officer?
In the Senate, there’s a tacit law which says anything from Mr President must fly even if the request is to turn a man to a woman.
The Senate President too had told whoever cares that Mr President can never send anything that would hurt Nigerians.
So Nigerians can now understand why they must pay more for VAT, more bank open and hidden charges.
Anything goes in the Senate provided it was sent by the executive since it’s believed that whatever comes from there can never be harmful to Nigerians.
The many loan requests too are not harmful to Nigerians so Nigerians can swallow all the bitter pills provided it is proven that it’s from Mr President.
It’s becoming and unbecoming of the legislature in Nigeria because you can’t be forcing bitter pills through the throats of Nigerians when the cost of living is fast becoming a nightmare.
Our lawmakers should wake up to their duties and squarely face legislative business rather than turning our chambers to praise and worship centres.