A former member of the Senate, Shehu Sani, has cautioned the National Assembly against allowing its influence to be diminished by its actions.
Sani stated this while speaking at the opening of the National Assembly Legislative Aides’ Forum (NASSLAF) Week on Tuesday in Abuja.
The pro-democracy activist also urged the legislators to selflessly live up to their responsibilities, for the good of the country.
According to him, a subservient posture by the legislature is not in the interest of the country, warning that such can impede good governance and undermine democracy.
Sani compared the current national assembly with the Eighth Assembly, led by Sen. Bukola Saraki, praising it (Eighth Assembly) for standing firm against executive’s overreach.
He observed, with dismay, that the powers of the national assembly appeared to be eroded with time.
“In our time, it was unthinkable for heads of MDAs to ignore our summons. They understood the gravity of our oversight functions,” he said.
Sani warned that the current assembly risked becoming a “rubber stamp” for the executive, sacrificing its independence and weakening democratic checks and balances.
Sani, therefore, cautioned the lawmakers against prioritising their personal gains over their constitutional responsibilities.
“This institution needs respect. If you turn yourselves into stooges, you will lose that respect. Our era defended legislative independence, but it came at a cost,” he said.
The former senator further stated that their insistence on doing the right thing birthed frosty relationships with the executive and caused delay in bills’ passage, warning that excessive cooperation was dangerous, as it could breed tyranny.
Sani cited instances where heads of MDAs openly challenged lawmakers during oversight functions, a behaviour which, he said, would not have been tolerated by previous assemblies.
“The senate president must ensure that nominees for appointments and executive proposals undergo serious scrutiny. This is not a place for automatic approval,” he stated.
Sani reminded the lawmakers that their primary duty was to serve Nigerians, not the presidency.
Sani also acknowledged what he called the vital but often over-looked roles of legislative aides, describing them as the backbone of the legislature, instrumental to drafting laws and policies for the country’s governance.