By Abiola Olawale
A former President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki has raised a piercing alarm, warning that Nigeria’s National Assembly is regressing.
Saraki, in a statement issued to commemorate the 26 years of uninterrupted democracy in the country, said the current legislative body is losing its edge and drifting into inefficiency, complacency, and disconnect from the Nigerian people.
Saraki, a key figure in Nigeria’s political landscape, highlighted how the Assembly’s inability to push transformative laws and hold the executive accountable is stifling national development.
He also blamed weak leadership and interference from other branches of government for the Assembly’s decline.
He asserted: “Let me now say that except we are here to lie to ourselves, we must acknowledge the fact that the National Assembly is gradually becoming a shadow of what a virile and effective parliament should be.
“Today, we seem to be drifting backwards. And we don’t have to go far to find the reason for this sad development. Things are not moving forward as they should.
“I am convinced that this is not only the fault of the legislature and its leadership. The executive and judiciary have consistently played key roles in undermining and weakening the National Assembly.”
He therefore challenged current lawmakers to rethink their duties and work to strengthen the National Assembly, stressing that if the National Assembly is made helpless and hopeless to the extent that the people cannot find succour there, then they will be left with no option but to run to the streets.
He added: “And this is dangerous for our democracy. The main job of the legislature is to provide checks and balances—not to blindly support the executive.”
