By Remi Sonaiya
A frustrated journalist contacted me sometime during the last week, requesting that I comment on “the happenings in the Senate where flippant issues are taking centre stage while proper legislation and the 2017 budget are abandoned”. There is, indeed, frustration in the land over what has been termed by some “the show of shame” being currently put up by the members of our higher legislative chamber.
One of issues which have occupied the legislators has to do with the allegation, originating from Sahara Reporters and supported by one of them, Senator Ndume, that Senator Dino Melaye did not graduate with a Bachelor’s degree from the Ahmadu Bello University as claimed. It is an ongoing drama in true Nollywood fashion in which we have witnessed Senator Melaye arrive in the chamber sporting academic ceremonial regalia! He has equally released a video in which he sings daringly: “the person who is incapable of standing up to somebody but goes ahead to mount an ambush on that person – his suffering will be unto death.” (Given that the song was sung in Yoruba, however, the expression ‘ajeku iya’ might not necessarily carry that literal meaning of suffering unto death which I have given it.) Meanwhile, Senator Ndume has definitely begun to “suffer”, having been placed on a six-month suspension by his colleagues.
Another major concern of our Senate members has been the matter of a purported N284 million bullet-proof vehicle allegedly purchased by or for the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and seized by the Nigerian Customs over fake documents. Meanwhile, the nation had witnessed a protracted drama between the Senate and the Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr Hameed Ali, who first refused to honour the Senate’s invitation for him to appear before them. When he finally did, he was sent away unquestioned, with members insisting that he return in customs uniform. Up until this moment, Mr Ali has not reappeared on the floor of the Senate and there is no final word as yet on the matter of the bullet-proof SUV.
Mr Ali is not the only Nigerian refusing to bow to the Senators’ orders. Professor Itse Sagay, chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, has been summoned for allegedly making disparaging statements about the lawmakers of the Red Chamber. He is reported to have described them as “childish and irresponsible”, and the Senate as being “filled with people of questionable character”. The erudite lawyer has ignored them, claiming that they have no powers to summon him: “I am not in the category of persons they can summon”. As if in defence of the law professor (Sagay) and to express Nigerians’ anger against the Senators, Mr Jiti Ogunye, a lawyer, during an interview on Channels Television asked: “When former President Olusegun Obasanjo described the Senate as a den of robbers, why did the lawmakers not summon him at that time?” Good question.
The Senators might be pushing Nigerians to the limit of their tolerance – and that, actually, might not be a bad development. Maybe something good could ultimately result from this wanton disregard for propriety and the abandonment of their primary responsibilities by our lawmakers. More and more Nigerians are coming out boldly to express their frustration. A write-up is currently making the rounds on the social media, signed by a certain Major Ken Chioma Obi (retired), which contains scathing remarks about the conduct of the Senators. The major, who retired from the army on medical grounds 13 years ago, hopes that 150,000 retired military officers would join him to agitate that the Senate should adjust their pay, which he claims to be N50 million per month, to provide employment for about five million jobless Nigerians. He writes: “As a retired army major, I’ve been surviving on an annual pay of N1.2 million with my entire family, while a silly, Godforsaken citizen pockets N50 million per month? For doing what? This is no longer acceptable to me.” Nigerians are losing their cool. We’re getting somewhere, hopefully.
How far does the impunity of leaders have to go before the people say: “Enough!”? One has had cause to refer in recent times to the story of Marie-Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI of France who, when it was told her that French people had no bread to eat, was reported to have quipped: “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche!” – “Let them eat cake!” While there is some controversy as to whether Marie-Antoinette was actually the one who pronounced those words, the point of the story is the callousness which leaders sometimes portray. It is amazing how unfeeling, how so untouched by the plight of their people leaders could become. Who would have thought that with the ongoing recession and the serious economic hardships which the majority of Nigerians are currently enduring, the greed of our leaders would continue unabated – indeed, would be on the increase? Is this a time for our leaders to continue to earn unjustifiable salaries, while their compatriots struggle to keep alive? Is it not callousness for our elected Senators to be purchasing armoured vehicles at a time such as this?
My response to the journalist who asked me to comment on happenings in the Senate was to say that I just hoped Nigerians were taking note of everything going on, so they would not go ahead and vote in the same set of people when the next election cycle comes around. That would be too sad.