President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, has lamented what he calls the lack of understanding of the legislature’s role by constituents and the general public, who slur legislators based on wrong assumptions.
Lawan said legislators at all levels in the country were often overburdened with personal requests from constituents.
The senate president spoke on Saturday in Abuja in a keynote address at the opening of the Conference of Presiding Officers of the Nigerian Legislature. He said the legislature at the federal and state levels was the core institution for the sustenance of democracy and the polity.
Speaking against the backdrop of insinuations about the recent leakage of the roof of the National Assembly complex, Lawan said it was unfair to assume that legislators embezzled money budgeted for the rehabilitation of the complex. He said the money for the repair was actually domiciled in the Federal Capital Territory budget.
According to the senate president, “This is one demonstration and testimony of misperception of the legislature. As I speak, this is still going through the procurement process. But you know what, when there was leakage, some of these critics and haters and traducers of the National Assembly said the National Assembly had spent the money. ‘They have finished the rehabilitation. Look at what is happening.’
“They didn’t even care to find out what really happened. So they went to town.
“Without this legislature, there is no democracy. The National Assembly and legislature across the country are people’s institutions. Not members of the National Assembly’s institution or state Assembly members’ institution. It’s the public. It’s the people.
“So, I will always advise that members of the public, especially those minority who have access to media, should, please, help our democracy prosper. Tell the true story. Inform correctly. Publicise rightly. We welcome criticisms.”
Lamenting excessive financial pressure from constituents, Lawan said, “I’m going to marry, somebody will call you. My wife is pregnant; he will look for you – either state Assembly member or National Assembly. My son is sick. My son is going to school.
“Everything is about the legislator. This is the role that the legislator performs informally because these are not supposed to be our roles but we do them so well and more than anybody else. I believe it’s something that we have to live with but it’s something that we need to continue to enlighten the people.”
Lawan also advised outspoken members of the public to give credit to the legislature when necessary.
He said, “When it comes to giving the National Assembly or the legislature credit, those who have access to media are either too economical with their ratings or even too blind to see very good performances by the National Assembly and the legislature across the country.
“This is one National Assembly that has broken so many jinxes. Last year, when we had to pass an amendment on the Deep Offshore Production Sharing Contract Act, Nigeria was earning only 216 million dollars before the amendment. With that singular amendment, Nigeria will earn two billion dollars. And that is something that could have been done 20 years ago but each time it came to the National Assembly, something happened.
It is only in this Ninth National Assembly that we defeated the demons last year and we defeated them yesterday (Thursday). These demons are people but majority of Nigerians are happy with what their legislatures across the country are doing.”
The senate president said the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) passed on Thursday by the upper chamber was central to the Nigerian economy and the lives of the people, particularly, the host communities in the oil producing states. He applauded the cooperation between the legislature and executive, which facilitated the passage of the bill.
Lawan also said, “There are many Nigerians who are honest but they are misled into believing that the National Assembly, for example, every month the National Assembly members are given N150 million.
“Those of us in the legislature have this misfortune of been misunderstood, misrepresented, but for the sake of our people, we must continue to bear everything and anything anybody will say. As we all know, the legislature in constitutional democracy ensures the survival of democracy by fulfilling the responsibilities of representation, law-making and oversight.”