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| fighting session of legislators |
By Prince Kelly O. Udebhulu.
Firstly, the educational qualification of an average
legislator in Nigeria according to our constitution is "at least school
certificate level" but the grade of such school was silent.
According to Section 106 (c) of the Constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999), any Nigerian citizen can be a member of a
State House of Assembly provided such a citizen “has been educated up to at
least the School Certificate level or its equivalent.” There is no additional
information as to what the constitution means by “school” which suggests that
persons educated up to the primary school level or possesses kindergarten
school`s certificate qualify. This is a legal argument yet clarified.
The constitutional provision virtually allows anybody to be
a member of the legislature in our nation called Nigeria. Under this provision,
the rich citizens sponsor their wives, children, house helps, errand boys,
relations, cooks and other malleable persons to the legislature to be used for
selfish jobs. For such legislators, the content of a bill or motion on the
floor of the legislature is not their business; theirs is to vote in favor of
their sponsor’s position on any bill. If amounts to fighting, so be it.
Such legislators that front for a master can never consider
the high degree of suffering occasioned by unemployment, economic recession in
the country, decay infrastructure in their environments or communities, nonpayment
of staff salaries, pension and gratuity of retirees in the state or Nigeria.
No, what matters to the legislators is a befitting farewell package for
themselves and their masters' interest.
Like the free for all fight that took place in Edo State
House Assembly when the speaker, Hon. Justin Okonoboh was impeached yesterday,,
14th August, 2017, although state governor and other party leaders would try to
dissociate themselves from such acts, they are never able to disabuse the minds
of the public over rumors of how much each legislator got to function like an
over-grown house-boy. It can't just happen in Nigeria for free. Material
inducements must be involved and their alleged inducement often runs into
millions of naira which I see as a recklessness which is part of what has
brought our economy to its current recessional status.
…to be continued.
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