NASS REPUBLIC: As Abaribe faults federal character principle. Two other stories, and a quote to remember

Former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, last week, faulted Nigeria’s federal character policy, noting that the policy blocks the room for merit in federal government appointments.

We tracked two other stories from the National Assembly (NASS) within the week under review.

1. Faulting federal character policy

Senator Abaribe, on October 26, stressed that the use of the Federal Character principle has resulted in the appointment of unqualified persons in different key positions in the government, and incidentally caused underdevelopment in the country.

The lawmaker, speaking in Abuja said, “As it stands now the Federal Character principle comes out in practice to give incompetence an audacious ride against merit using geo-tribal watermarks and glass ceilings. If the Federal Character initiative intends to carry every polity along, it should not be corrupted by disproportionate assessment modules that discount merit.”

Abaribe’s statement reopens conversation on how the country’s fortunes may have been hampered by the enthronement of primordial sentiments in the choice of leaders.

While it has been argued that designers of the constitution intended to deploy that section to ensure inclusivity among the diverse ethnic-nationalities in the country, it is doubtful if the implementers have allowed equity and fairness to prevail.

NASS MEMORY LANE

Who said;
“Even if some people disagree on some of the happenings in the Senate, still, it is only the majority decision that is going to prevail and Parliament is like that. But we will never get to a point of throwing chairs. We will never get to that point.”

Answer: See end of post

Two other stories

2. Bamidele’s warning on fighting corruption

On October 20, the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, warned the Bola Tinubu-led administration against political persecution and selective treatment if it aims to succeed in fighting corruption.

“The Federal Government needs to discourage selective treatment, executive lawlessness, high-handedness, and political persecution of perceived enemies in the fight against corruption,” Bamidele said at a two-day retreat in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State.

The Senate Leader’s statement serves as a call for the Tinubu administration, especially the anti-graft agencies, to ensure that transparency, accountability, and justice are pursued in dealing with those fingered in corrupt acts.

It could also be interpreted as a caution for the Tinubu administration to ensure that it did not perpetuate perceived abuses of the anti-graft agencies as alleged under the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

3. Still on fighting drug abuse

The Senate, on October 17, charged the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, declare a state of emergency on illicit drugs and drug abuse in the country.

This followed the adoption of a motion titled: “Urgent need to address the menace of drug abuse in Nigeria,” presented at the plenary by Senator Babangida Hussain.

“A statistics by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the European Union on drug use in Nigeria, stated that about 14.3 million Nigerians between the ages 15 and 64, were drug users,” Hussain said, describing the ongoing campaign against drug abuse by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) as ineffective.

The Senate’s charge tells how bad the social menace of drug abuse has continued to thrive despite coordinated efforts to tame it.

It bears a bad omen on what could befall Nigeria as no country with a high rate of drug abusers enjoys security, orderliness and development.

It rests on the Senate to push harder at its oversight responsibilities to ensure that the NDLEA lives up to its expectation, and that workable laws are enacted to stem the growing tide.

Answer: Senator Godswill Akpabio
Akpabio made the statement on October 18, 2023, after a meeting with President Tinubu at the Aso Rock villa, Abuja. He is the Senate President, and served as governor of Akwa Ibom State between 2007 and 2015.

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