Stakeholders at the Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed Colloquium in Bauchi State yesterday called on the National Assembly (NASS) to entrench good governance to fast-track Nigeria’s development, insisting that the legislative arm of government must save itself from being a stooge in the hands of the executive.

Among the speakers were the factional Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Kabiru Turaki, a former vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, and former Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund TETFund, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro.

Speaking on the theme, “The Nigerian Senate: Yesterday, Today, and the Future of Representative Legislation” at the event marking the 68th birthday of Governor Mohammed, Turaki said Nigerians should demand a quality legislature that adds value to the lives of citizens.

He noted that though legislation is made every day, no quality work that fundamentally affects the life of the common man is being turned out of the National Assembly.

Also, the chairman of the event, Bogoro, urged Nigerian leaders to provide quality representation for Nigerians amid rising insecurity, low levels of education and poverty, particularly in Northern Nigeria.

According to him, insecurity and lack of access to healthcare are troubling Nigeria, with lower levels of education and capacity also playing a role.

For Baba-Ahmed, Nigeria needs help to save itself from the normalisation of oppression and injustice through leaders who could end injustice. He lamented that oppression was getting into the DNA of Nigerian leaders, with oppression acceptance also getting into the DNA of Nigerian people.

Meanwhile, a former Minister of Women Affairs, Maryam Ciroma, has called for the enactment of 35 per cent affirmative action for women after several appeals, arguing that women are major contributors to electoral successes, from campaign to the poll.