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Aisha Yesufu demands scrapping of Senate to reduce governance cost
Aisha Yesufu demands scrapping of Senate to reduce governance cost
Yesufu, Co-founder, Bring Back Our Girls Movement, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.
She was reacting to calls in some quarters that the country should jettison its bicameral legislature and adopt a unicameral legislature to reduce the cost of governance.
NAN reports that unicameral legislature is a system with one chamber or house, as opposed to bicameral legislature which has two chambers (Senate and House of Representatives).
Some countries with unicameral legislatures include China (National People’s Congress), Sweden (Riksdag), Norway (Storting), Denmark (Folketing), and Portugal (Assembly of the Republic).
The activist said Nigeria could, alternatively, consider re-introduction of the parliamentary system of government to reduce the heavy funds spent on the National Assembly.
According to her, until something is done about the cost of running government and corruption, Nigerians will not feel the dividends of democracy.
“We need to really and critically examine our democracy and look at what fits us and serve the ordinary people and the masses. The one that will not be too expensive.
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“What we have now is too expensive. We need to cut costs and not just continue what we have that has not been working for Nigerians.
“I totally support the call for us to have a unicameral legislature. It is very important because the kind of governance that we are practising is very expensive.
“As a country, we really don’t have that kind of money. Apart from this, the fact is that both the Senate and House of Representatives end up duplicating functions in terms of what they do,” Yesufu said.
She said the Senate had been turned into “a retirement home for a lot of incompetent and failed governors who didn’t do anywhere well for the people in their state”.
She said that Nigerians had continued to bear the brunt of the hit on resources annually allocated to these political ‘retirees’ in the Senate.
Yesufu added: “It (Senate) is a joke ground; we cannot say what the Senate does is in a real sense different from what the House of Representatives do.
“They (Senators) do nothing special and at the end of the day, they are paid humongous amounts of our money and such huge allowances for doing nothing different.
“We found out that a good number of them, especially those that are former governors, while they get this humongous salary, are as well collecting pension from their respective states.
“There is no way democracy can work for the masses with this kind of waste of public funds that could have been directed to put happiness to the face of the common man.”
According to her, Senegal is practising a unicameral legislature, after abolishing Senate for the second time in September 2012.
She said: “The House of Representatives is capable of taking care of the law-making aspect of the nation, oversights and other things that the legislative arm of government does.
“Unicameral legislature should be adopted in Nigeria because bicameralism is too expensive apart from the fact that it slows down the business of lawmaking.
“It is not working for us, we don’t have the kind of money to run it and maintain this, especially at a time when the masses are suffering.
“Having a single legislative arm will pay us better in terms of reduction of cost of governance,” she said.
Yesufu decried that Nigeria had not in a real sense been practising a true federal system of government.
Speaking further, the activist said the country could also adopt the parliamentary system of government to reduce the cost of governance.
She said that Nigeria could no longer sustain the current presidential system of government.
“This will also pay us in terms of reduction of the cost of governance because whoever is leading the country is the one that is the first among equal.
“Ministers in this system are selected from members of the parliament that are elected.
“So, that reduces the cost of governance drastically and better than what we have now where separate people are brought in as ministers,” she said.
The activist said that both the bicameral legislature and the presidential system of government had brought a lot of pressure on the nation’s resources.
“We can have a parliamentary system of government, we shall be reducing cost of governance drastically well.
“The Prime Minister would not be this powerful and exercise control over everything, including the appointed ministers, because ministers are also members of the parliament,” she said.
Aisha Yesufu demands scrapping of Senate to reduce governance cost
News
Executive Order: NAFDAC praises Tinubu for advancing drug and health security
Executive Order: NAFDAC praises Tinubu for advancing drug and health security
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for signing an executive order to strengthen drug and health security in Nigeria.
In a statement on Saturday, NAFDAC Director-General Prof. Moji Adeyeye highlighted that the executive order is designed to transform Nigeria’s health sector. The order focuses on increasing local production of healthcare products, reducing healthcare equipment and consumables costs, and promoting local investments.
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Prof. Adeyeye emphasized that this move paves the way for a sustainable and high-quality healthcare system for all Nigerians. She noted that the executive order demonstrates the administration’s dedication to transforming the health sector and aligns with the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) and the Presidential Initiative on Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), which was approved in October 2023.
Prof. Adeyeye also mentioned that NAFDAC has been implementing measures to enhance the local manufacturing of drugs and other health commodities over the past six years. She stated that the Tinubu administration has created an environment where local manufacturers can excel and compete effectively.
Executive Order: NAFDAC praises Tinubu for advancing drug and health security
News
Food Security: Saudi Arabia plans farm equipment manufacturing plants in Nigeria
Food Security: Saudi Arabia plans farm equipment manufacturing plants in Nigeria
Senator Abubakar Kyari, the Minister of Agriculture, announced that Saudi Arabia has shown interest in establishing manufacturing plants in Nigeria for farming equipment.
Kyari disclosed this in a statement on his Twitter account on Saturday following a meeting with stakeholders from the Middle Eastern state. He highlighted that the objective is to enhance Nigeria’s agricultural sector through mechanization by locating these plants within the country.
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Additionally, Kyari mentioned that Saudi Arabia has committed to purchasing 200,000 metric tons of red meat annually from Nigeria and one million tons of soya. He emphasized that this initiative will bolster the agricultural sector and the nation’s production capacity.
News
Release Nnamdi Kanu now, Peter Obi urges FG
Release Nnamdi Kanu now, Peter Obi urges FG
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last general election, Peter Obi, has called on the Federal government to release Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Speaking to journalists at his residence in Onitsha, Anambra State, Obi described Nigeria as being on the brink of failure and emphasized the importance of upholding the rule of law. He called on the Federal government to release Nnamdi Kanu promptly, citing court rulings that granted him bail.
“My take on Nnamdi Kanu is that I don’t see any reason for his continued detention, especially as the courts have granted him bail. The government must obey the court. The rule of law is an intricate asset that we must cherish and live with. I use this same opportunity to plead with the federal government to ensure that all those who are in similar conditions are released and discussed. We are in a democracy, and we should not be doing things that are arbitrary and not within the law.
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I want to use this opportunity to say that all those who are being held because of one protest or the other should be released. Whether it is freedom fighters, End Sars protesters, or even because of freedom of speech, be it journalists, let them all be released immediately.
We are a democratic country, and people have rights under the constitution to express themselves freely. They also have the right to peaceful protest, and we must listen to them. We must listen to those who say they are not happy, that is why it is a democracy. We should stop acting dictatorial and behave as if this is not a democratic country.” he said
Release Nnamdi Kanu now, Peter Obi urges FG
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