Senator calls for adoption of Parliamentary system of Government to reduce cost of governance
A serving senator of the Federal Republic, Senator Aliyu Ndume, has called for change in the current system of government, saying legal luminaries should come together and fashion out an acceptable arrangement that can lead to a constitution amendment through referendum.
Ndume, criticised the present presidential system of government ‘in which a few privileged public officials, including federal legislators, earn bogus salaries’
The senator wondered why a few selected public officials, including federal legislators, will be paid fantastic salaries as against the pittance being paid an average public worker.
He said: “In the current system, workers are not being paid living wages, whereas a privileged few are earning luxury wages. The National Assembly members, including me for instance, are paid luxury wages.”
“We have a budget of over N10 trillion and only 30 per cent is going to the majority whereas 70 per cent would be spent on a few minority. The system we presently practice is not fair in terms of moral, religious or socially.”
Senator Ndume advocated for referendum in which Nigerians should demand for a system of government that is cost effective and will improve the smooth running of government.
He said: “Legal luminaries should look at the way the parliamentary system could be implemented, like coming up with a national debate which should compel the National Assembly to either make it as part of the constitution amendment or a resolution that emanated from the debate.”
“Since Nigeria was a British colony, we started with the parliamentary system. All over the world today, parliamentary system of government is more popular than the presidential system.
“It is also more effective in the sense that the head of government is more or less one among equals of the parliamentarians. Therefore, accountability is achieved in the chamber in the sense that the prime minister has to be in the parliament every day, and he must give account of government to his colleagues.
“Also, ministers are selected among the elected parliamentarians. The idea is to reduce the cost of governance and make it more effective.”
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