Nigeria: What Will Nigerians Do About the Senate?

2 August 2017
opinion

Parliament, in a democracy, is meant to represent and embody the will, opinions and interests of the people. President Muhammadu Buhari was elected primarily to fight corruption which a majority of Nigerians identify as the cancer that halts all positive initiatives and developments in the country. It is the primary reason why we are so poor and without much of the amenities other nations take for granted. The Senate, in a saner clime, should have been at the forefront of the fight, assisting the President and all agencies involved in bringing those who have brought this country so low, to book.

Instead, in Nigeria, it is filled with individuals with dodgy pasts, allegedly fake certificates and corruption cases left unanswered, people who stand to lose positions and unimaginable wealth. The Senate usually acts as a check on the executive. In Nigeria, this has been taken to mean that the Senate is allowed to illegally compete with the Presidency for executive powers or to even act like it were an opposition party with its own separate agenda. Rather than support the Presidency, the Senate seems to have done all it can to stall or obstruct its goals. So, who then will act as a check on the Senate's activities if not the Nigerian people they are supposed to represent?

...

AllAfrica publishes around 400 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.