Opinion
The Ninth Assembly and Lawan’s unbroken pact with Nigerians
By Dr. Ezrel Tabioqo
As one of Nigeria’s longest serving legislators, Senator Ahmad Lawan, can be regarded as one of the most experienced lawmakers when it comes to the workings and trappings of lawmaking.
The knowledge amassed from his time in the House of Representatives to the Senate afforded him the edge in coming through with a clearly defined action plan, which, was the heart of his campaign when he contested the Senate Presidency for a second time in 2019.
His legislative agenda, tagged, “A National Assembly That Works For Nigeria”, was a pact with Nigerians conceived to address critical aspects of our national life ranging from Security, Economy, Criminal Legislation Reform to Public Finance Management.
Other important areas of focus accommodated are Youth Unemployment and Substance Abuse, Standard of Education, Healthcare Services, Social Safety Net, and Constitutional Amendments.
However, he understood that having a flawed budgetary practice to a very large extent could frustrate the realisation of his legislative agenda which sought a better deal for Nigerians.
Solving The Budgeting Puzzle
As a lawmaker not new to the complexities of bureaucratic intrigues, Lawan figured that the budget, besides being a financial action plan, was the key to the successful implementation of government strategies, policies, plans and priorities.
Having missed out on his previous bid to lead the National Assembly in 2015, he was not unaware of the very obvious that he had only just four years to make up for the setback suffered by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, owing to the frosty relationship between the legislature and executive at the time.
The absence of executive-legislature harmony, as a consequence, made it absolutely impossible for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to realise its plans for Nigerians during the first four years in power from 2015 to 2019.
In addition, the consistent delay in the passage of the nation’s annual budget in record time also had its attendant negative impact on the economy. Facts from a report by the Center For The Study Of The Economies Of Africa (CSEA) showed an inverse relationship between budget delays and economic growth in Nigeria between 2000 – 2017. The data used by the Centre for its studies and analysis were obtained from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The Centre, while underscoring the place of the budget in national development, described it as the “main transmission mechanism of fiscal policy and the key tool through which government could stabilise and influence the economic direction” of a country.
The report, titled, “The Economic Effect Of Budget Delay In Nigeria”, interestingly, attributed delay in the budgeting process to disagreement between the legislature and executive on expenditure items. It observed that such delays came with costs and outcomes capable of depressing the economy by 2.5 percent as well as the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures.
The report, further noted that uncertainty in government policy direction amplified economic cost due to budget delay. This, it stressed, stalled and constrained infrastructural development – a key enabler for economic growth.
Armed with knowledge of these, Lawan, after emerging as Senate President in June 2019, devised a strategy which sought to eliminate the main cause of budget delay. He adopted a leadership approach that encouraged collaboration between the executive and legislature.
His unpopular masterstroke, ruptured all bureaucratic tendencies and uprooted associated obstacles, which, hitherto, frustrated the timely consideration and passage of the nation’s annual budget and some critical bills. It also restored the budget calendar to the Gregorian January – December timeline to foster proper planning and implementation.
The Senate President’s effort, which economists have come to consider as one of his greatest accomplishments besides the passage of landmark bills, restored stability and predictability to the public budget after being deformed for twenty years under past administrations, and since Nigeria’s return to democratic governance in 1999.
The timely passage of the budget ensured an improvement to the implementation figures of capital projects across the country. This explains why the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government trumps previous administrations when it comes to infrastructural development.
In the past, the highest budget implementation figures recorded were between 50-55 percent by Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government. In most cases, MDAs recorded very poor implementation figures, some of which went as low as 30 to 40 percent between 2011 and 2018.
For instance, in 2012, the House of Representatives under the leadership of Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, threatened to impeach the then President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, over the very poor implementation of the nation’s budget. The decision to commence impeachment proceedings against President Jonathan was against the backdrop of resolutions reached by the House, following a motion moved by Hon. Albert Sam-Tsokwa and 20 other lawmakers.
During debate on the motion, the various Committee Chairmen tackled the executive arm of government for failing to implement the 2012 budget as passed under the guise that the country was “broke”. The then Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who currently is the Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), came under severe fire over the federal government’s inability to give sufficient explanation as to why MDAs were unable to fully implement capital projects contained in their respective budgets.
The current Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, who was a member elected on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Minority Leader of the House at the time, was confounded by the situation and described the 2012 Appropriation Act as “a budget of abracadabra and voodoo economy.”
On his part, Jonathan’s Spokesman, the famous and erudite Dr. Reuben Abati, who was boxed into a tight corner with no economic explanation handy to calm the furious lawmakers, expressly admitted that the President was equally worried about the low budget implementation concerns raised by the House. What was, however, unknown to them at the time, was that the constant delays in budget passage over the period since 1999, had taken a toll on Nigeria’s economic growth in a disruptive way that encouraged harmful budgetary practices, which, in turn, hindered effective budget implementation as shown in researches and analysis by the Center For The Study Of The Economies Of Africa (CSEA).
But in a rather sharp contrast, the implementation figures under Senate President Lawan in 2021 and 2022, respectively, reached an all time high of 95 to 100 percent – numbers never before recorded in Nigeria’s history.
It would also be recalled that the timely passage of the budget since 2019, saved the country on two occasions from a recession which could have ushered in an economic downturn on a scale never before witnessed, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Last And Final Lap
The Ninth National Assembly, on Wednesday, December 28, 2022, for the fourth consecutive time passed the annual budget in record time. This was done in keeping with its pact of being a legislature that works for Nigeria. At no time did the National Assembly fail in its duty to do so.
Within the period of its existence, the Senate and House of Representatives considered and passed more economically beneficial legislations than previous assemblies put together. These pieces of legislation raked in revenues running into billions of dollars for the nation. Some of them include the Petroleum Industry Act, The Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts (Amendment) Act, Finance Act, CAMA Act, to mention just a few.
While there are quite a good number of landmark legislations to the credit of the Ninth Assembly, it cannot be denied that the current legislature remains one of the very best and transparent to have served the Nigerian people selflessly till date.
In making laws, personal ambitions were sacrificed on the altar of patriotism. Lawmakers resisted the inclination to be partisan and were always guided in their conduct by the overall national Interest. And, for which, most paid the price.
As the countdown begins to the end of its lifespan in May with the coming of the new year 2023, we can only hope and expect that the great achievements recorded by the Ninth under the distinguished leadership of Senator Ahmad Lawan, is sustained and improved on by the 10th Assembly.
To the few torchbearers left to blaze the trail going forward, we wish Godspeed! And to those whose lamps by virtue of service have burned out, may their labour and sacrifices not be in vain.
Dr. Tabiowo is the Special Assistant (Press) to the Senate President and writes from Abuja.
By Adamu Muhd Usman.
“If you can think of it, you can plan it; if you can plan it, you can dream it; if you can dream it, you can achieve it.”
—Unknown author
Farming and livestock are Jigawa’s main occupations. The Jigawa people and its government are always interested in farming. So talking about farming, farmers, commodities and livestock prices are interesting issues for Jigawa people.
The prices of cash crops, grains, etc., are recording a steady drop in Jigawa State occasioned by the yearning and interest of the people of the state and also some state government commitment for both farming of animals and farm produce.
A check and investigations by yours sincerely showed and proved that the prices of many things had dropped by 20-30 per cent in the last four weeks and thereabouts in Jigawa state.
A 10 kg local rice farm (produced) in Jigawa State was sold at ₦9,000 as against the previous price of almost ₦12,000. Millet, sorghum, beans, wheat, Benny seeds, etc., indicated a similar price decrease.
People are of the opinion that the situation of a high supply of the produce from farms in Jigawa State has committed itself to producing a large quantity of farm produce and livestock to meet the demand in the region or the country at large. Surely, the increase in the supply of the produce from the farms or farmers had forced prices down in the recent past.
Others still attributed this price drop to the fear of Allah instilled in the hearts of hoarders because the clerics kept preaching against hoarding, which is seriously frown upon by God Almighty.
While some political critics viewed it as the bad economic policies of the President Tinubu administration, in which Allah used it to bring relief to the common man.
Quite obviously, Jigawa is amongst the three states in the federation that produce and supply the nation and some neighbouring counties with grains, livestock, fish and frogs. Jigawa state is also first in Hibiscus, sesame, gum Arabic, datefarm and also Jigawa is not left behind in the farming of cotton and Siemens. —-Jigawa is blessed.
But at the overround investigations, findings and outcomes, it was largely concluded that all these results and achievements were attributed to the people’s interest and passion for farming, but it is mostly because of the government’s commitments to assist, promote and enhance agricultural production in the state to make it a priority in Jigawa as a means of livelihood, occupation and income for the Jigawa populace and to be a source of internally generated revenue (IGR) for the state and also make the state feed the nation formula. Thank God, the airport (cargo) built by the former governor, Dr Sule Lamido, will now be very functional and useful.
The big question now is, can the state government sustain its support for the agricultural sector and continue to pay more attention and also sustain the package and gesture?
We hope that farmers in the state will continue to enjoy maximum support in crop production, including the use of mechanised farming. This will encourage livestock farming, which will go a long way to reduce or stop farmers’/herders’ clashes.
Also, the issue of soil erosion should be given due attention, and more roads should be constructed across the state in order to facilitate bringing out farm produce from villages and rural areas to urban areas.
As the saying goes, Success is getting what you want, and happiness is wanting what you get.
Adamu writes from Kafin-Hausa, Jigawa State.
By Abiodun KOMOLAFE
The concepts of power, privilege and governance are complex and multifaceted. Power refers to the ability to influence others, while privilege denotes unearned advantages.
Governance encompasses institutions, structures and processes that regulate these dynamics. Together, these concepts raise fundamental questions about justice, equality and resource distribution.
It emphasizes the importance of considering marginalized groups’ experiences and perspectives. The main problem in Nigeria today is its political economy, which is rooted in rent-seeking and fosters a mindset that prioritizes patronage over production.
The country’s politics are characterized by a patron-client relationship, where everything revolves around government handouts rather than effective governance. This has led to a situation where “politics” in Nigeria is essentially a scramble for resources in a country with severely limited opportunities for self-improvement.
When French agronomist René Dumont wrote ‘False Starts in Africa’ in 1962, he inadvertently described Nigeria’s current state in 2025. Nigeria’s missteps have magnified themselves in the theatre of the absurd, such as the construction of a new vice presidential residence and Governor Chukwuemeka Soludo’s boasts about the lavish official residence for the governor of Anambra State, currently under construction.
It is to be noted in contradistinction that the newly sworn-in Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, is looking for somewhere to live. The official residence of the prime minister, 24 Sussex Drive, the Canadian equivalent of 10 Downing Street, is in disrepair and uninhabitable. No Canadian government can dare ask the parliament to appropriate the $40m needed to refurbish the residence.
Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) exceeds $2 trillion, while Nigeria’s GDP is less than $400 billion. Still, Nigeria claims to be a giant! With an electricity generation capacity of less than 6,000 megawatts, Nigeria’s proclamation seems absurd, especially when compared to cities like Johannesburg, Singapore, Hong Kong and Mumbai. Even Lagos State alone should be generating, transmitting and distributing at least 15,000 megawatts, which would be a basic expectation rather than an achievement.
Nigeria today needs a comprehensive overhaul of its governance crisis to build a new political economy and social services that are fit for purpose. Although the government is on the right path in some ways, a root-and-branch transformation is still necessary.
A notable breakthrough is the decision to recapitalize development finance institutions, such as the Bank of Industry and, crucially, the Bank of Agriculture. This move is significant in a rent-seeking state, as it addresses the need for long-term capital – a prerequisite for achieving meaningful progress.
The development finance institutions require annual recapitalization of at least N500 billion, ideally N1 trillion. Achieving this necessitates a thorough cost evaluation of the government’s machinery, starting with the full implementation of the Oronsaye Committee’s recommendations.
The resulting cost savings can then be redirected to development finance institutions and essential social services like primary healthcare. Furthermore, the government should be bolder, if it can afford to be so, especially since there’s no discernible opposition on offer At the moment, the Nigerian political establishment across the board appears to be enamored by the position put forward by the leader of the Russian revolution, Vladimir Lenin, after the failed putsch. Lenin wrote the classic, ‘What is to be done?’
His observation is that revolutions do not take place at times of grinding poverty. They do so during periods of relatively rising prosperity. Significant sections of the Nigerian establishment believe that relatively rising prosperity could trigger off social discontent.
In their own interest, they had better be right. The caveat is that Lenin wrote ‘What’s to be Done’ in 1905. The world has moved on and changed since the conditions that led to the failure of the attempted takeover of government in Russia in 1905. Therefore, the Nigerian political establishment, for reasons of self-preservation, had better put on its thinking cap. Addressing power and privilege in governance requires collective action, institutional reforms and a commitment to promoting social justice. Nigeria currently lacks a leadership recruitment process, which can only be established if political parties are willing to develop a cadre. Unfortunately, the country is dealing with Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) instead. It’s rare to find leadership in Nigeria operating political boot camps to recruit and groom youths for future leadership roles.
This might be why many young people have a misguided understanding of politics, viewing it as merely a means of sharing the nation’s commonwealth. Mhairi Black was elected to the British House of Commons at 20 years old.
However, the key point is that Black had started becoming involved in politics at a young age. By the time she was elected, she had already gained significant experience, effectively becoming a veteran in the field. In Nigeria, politics is often seen as one of the few avenues for self-fulfillment. However, the economy is stagnant, with few jobs created in the public sector and limited investment opportunities.
This is a far cry from the 1950s and 1960s, when political parties were more substantial. Today, it’s worth asking how many Nigerian political parties have functional Research Departments. Besides, what socialization into any philosophy or ideology do our politicians have? Similarly to former Governor Rotimi Amaechi, many of those who currently hold power are motivated to stay in politics due to concerns about economic stability.
Of course, that’s why the Lagos State House of Assembly has had to revert itself. It is the same challenge that has reduced the traditional institution to victims of Nigeria’s ever-changing political temperature. It is the reason an Ogbomoso indigene is not interested in what happened between Obafemi Awolowo and Ladoke Akintola.
It is also the reason an Ijebuman sees an Ogbomoso man as his enemy without bothering to dig up the bitter politics that ultimately succeeded in putting the two families on the path of permanent acrimony. Of course, that’s why we have crises all over the place! May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Nigeria!
KOMOLAFE wrote from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State, Nigeria (ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk; 08033614419)
Byabiodun KOMOLAFE
Rivers State is now under emergency rule, and it’s likely to remain so for the next six months, unless a drastic change occurs.
If not managed carefully, this could mark the beginning of a prolonged crisis.
In situations like this, opinions tend to be divergent. For instance, some people hold the notion that the security situation and the need to protect the law and public order justified President Bola Tinubu’s proclamation of a state of emergency in, and the appointment of a sole administrator for Rivers State.
However, others view this act as ‘unconstitutional’, ‘reckless’, ‘an affront on democracy’, and ‘a political tool to intimidate the opposition’. When we criticize governments for unmet expectations, we often rely on our own perspectives and biases.
Our individual identities and prejudices shape our criticism. However, it’s essential to recognize that not all criticism is equal. Protesting within the law is fundamentally different from protests that descend into illegality. Once illegality creeps in, the legitimacy of the protest is lost.
As John Donne wrote in ‘Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions’, “Never send to know for whom the bell tolls.” A protest is legitimate when it aligns with societal norms, values and laws. But when protests are marred by violence or sabotage, they lose credibility. Without credibility, protests become ineffective.
Regarding the validity or otherwise of the emergency rule in Rivers State, it is imperative that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors approach the Supreme Court immediately. They should seek a definitive clarification on whether the proclamation is ultra vires or constitutional.
For whatever it’s worth, they owe Nigerians that responsibility!May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Nigeria!
Abiodun KOMOLAFE,ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk; 08033614419 – SMS only.
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