SUNDAY NARRATIVE: Changes We Urgently Desire

Last Thursday, the United State’s Select Congressional Committee on Benghazi engaged former Secretary of State and Presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, in an 11-hour grilling that further honed that country’s records as the leading light in democratic governance. It was a most engaging and enervating investigation of the September 11, 2012, attack by Islamic militants on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, that led to the death of U.S ambassador to that country, John Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.

For Nigerians who had the time and the discipline to watch the proceeding, they very likely saw democracy at work. It was about debate, subtle provocation and a capacity to stay unruffled. You would think that the incident had just happened yesterday, given the passion that was poured into it, by the Republicans and the Democrats on the committee. Meanwhile, seven other inquisitions had been carried out on the same issue, two being bipartisan and the others instigated and led by the GOPs. There is politics everywhere and you could see the chair of the committee, Rep. Trey Gowdy going for the kill; and the Democrats matching fire for fire. Overall, it was about America first and the safety of her citizens around the world. It was about the U.S foreign policy and how local politics impact on it.

The legislature in the U.S is a solid arm of the government of that country; and from what we saw last week, that investigation can only bring about better handling of U.S foreign relations.

Contrasted with the quality of what we have here, we still have a long way to go. We are not saying that we must match the Americans, whose democratic experience has spanned two centuries, but we must show signs of a country that is destined for greatness. We are quick to look for alibis in the overbeaten refrain that ours is a young democracy. Sure it is, because that is where we want it to be, but the world is moving on.

That same last Thursday, the Senate continued with its screening of ministerial nominees. The most memorable appearance was that of former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, who came well regaled in a costume that bespoke procured triumphalism. Here is a man that has serious issues with his state government, which raised a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate his activities as governor. He blatantly refused to obey the summons by the commission, which had Hon. Justice George Omereji as chairman with four other members, and went to court to challenge it. But recommendations had been reached and compiled, and the next place Amaechi ought to be with his state government is the court and not the Red Chambers. He is not guilty yet and nobody or group can pronounce him guilty if the court did not say so.

But what we expect of a party that professes belief in the Rule of Law, and wants to do things differently from what had been done in the last 16 years is for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to ask President Muhammadu Buhari, to put on hold matters that have to do with Amaechi for now. We know he worked very hard for the party, the way he also did his best for his state, what matters most now for the APC is to match its grandiose postulations with action. It is impunity for a party in government to encourage its founding members not to attend judicial summons; it is impunity of the highest order to brandish before the distinguished senators the same report of the judicial commission, whose summons you refused to honour. And guess what? Amaechi said the report exonerated him and nowhere in it was he indicted. He only had issues with the government White Report that emanated from the report. Can’t the APC just listen to itself and do things differently? Or, is it because Buhari himself refused to appear before the Justice Chukwudifu Oputa-led Human Rights Violation Investigation Committee (HRVIC) in year 2000 that makes the APC so helpless today? This party has a Vice President who is a law professor and we expect him to intervene urgently in these matters.

For the Senate, these are issues of integrity that won’t just be swept under the carpet. What they told us before the screening commenced on Tuesday, October 13 was that the process would be thorough and would not be business as usual. Part of the rules was that at least two Senators from a nominee’s state must endorse him or her. The entire 49 Senators of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including the three from Amaechi’s Rivers State, did not interrogate the former Rivers governors. But the APC Senators went on to have a field day, in the colluding and reveling glare of party leaders who made solidarity appearance during the screening.

PDP senators are alleging betrayal, meaning that the contrived bipartisanship that birthed the Bukola Saraki Senate leadership on June 9 might have suffered its first setback on account of Amaechi. The point the PDP should note is that legislative bipartisanship is good and should be carefully deployed when issues of national importance are on the floor. It should not surprise anyone if Saraki at plenary reneges on a bipartisan position collectively reached behind close-doors. The same Saraki that worked against his own party on June 9 could work against the PDP or anybody anytime. It is the nature of our survival politics for now.

Nigeria is work in progress and the National Assembly is also work in progress. It is left for individual legislators to show uncommon brilliance and patriotism, so that this 8th Assembly will be different from the previous Assemblies.

The way to making some difference is in the quality of research that is carried out ahead of debates. The quality of research done by legislators before the ministerial screening was poor. Apart from a few Senators who showed good knowledge, others were just wasting words. I can make a list of 50 others who were just onlookers.

On October 13, former governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola spoke extensively and brilliantly of his love for acquiring debts. He left a huge debt profile in Lagos State before he left on May 29. He needed to justify it, and he did quite well. What he failed to tell the Senators is that Lagos is a different ball game. Lagos State has a hug capacity to generate internal revenue, which about 33 other states presently do not have. And if the NASS continues to license debts for states without due interrogation, as it did for Edo State recently, Nigeria will soon return to its days of renown as an international debtor. Yes, with good planning, Lagos can pay back its loans, but you need a perceptive state legislature to partner with the executive to ensure that what is borrowed is put to good use, and transparently too.

I have my fears that the APC government will have no choice but borrow heavily to finance its programmes and campaign promises. Vice President Osinbajo has said that much, when he proffered more spending as the way out of an impending recession, rather than cut back. He said Nigeria plans to create a $25 billion fund with public and private financing to modernize infrastructure. But the legislature, particularly the relevant committees should be interested in how government plans to pay back whatever debt it procures. The committee on infrastructure should follow through with appropriations, releases and oversighting.

In 16 years we have the same road contracts appearing on yearly appropriations, yet the jobs are not carried out. The Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa road up north on the Western flank has remained an eyesore for all of those years.

Lagos-Ibadan, apart from the half-hearted work ongoing is still a nightmare. Ibadan-Ife-Ilesa highway is perennially troubled, save for the routine dry season interventions by FERMA. Ilesa-Akure is fair, but Owo-Lokoja is still a mess. Other Federal roads across the country are perpetually in a mess. But at one time or the other, they have all been appropriated for by the National Assembly, and in some case, monies had been paid to some dubious contractors.

The APC has to do things differently here. Former governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi talked about devolution of responsibilities from the Federal to States during his screening. A more nuanced way to put it is that Nigeria must restructure to free more resources and duties from the centre to the units where people live, where the roads and economic activities take place. And the driver of that process of restructuring is the National Assembly.

And I think we can begin by getting serious like the U.S congressional committee on Benghazi did last Thursday.