Liberal democracy requires an interplay of lobbying activities for it to thrive. The executive led by the president or prime minister as the case may be, goes into a negotiation with the legislative in order to drive his agenda and make the ordinary citizen of the country feel his presence.
Nigeria under the Buhari-Osinbajo Presidency does not seem to understand this functionality or perhaps there is a belief that policy can be created and driven and can thrive with out the help of the legislative arm of governance. Sadly, the success of the executive hinges on its ability to influence voting patterns in the National Assembly and use the bills once passed into law to drive policy. In over two years of the Buhari Osinbajo presidency, this synergy has failed to take place and the National Assembly appears to be setting the agenda, thereby running roughshod over the executive. Presidents are supposed to lead the agenda of a polity, this presidency seems to be following the dictates of the legislature. The 8th Assembly might not be any liberal minded Nigerians' ideal representation. Never has there been such a group of strange bed fellows. Ex military governors, erudite scholars, controversial polemicists all rolled into a gathering of seemingly infallible powerful and rich egoistic pontificators who fight to enforce their agenda over that of the populace they are supposed to represent. The Senate also consists of quite a number of former governors who are being tried by the courts of the nation for offenses bothering on corruption.
Odd as it may seem, some eminent Nigerians submit that Nigerians ought to respect the institution of the Senate, since its the highest law making body of the land with the special duties of an oversight over executive activity. But is it possible to separate an institution from the individuals that occupy it? Is the whole not made up of the parts? If an institution, no matter how lofty, is made up of individuals who have not earned public trust, can it demand respect from the people it appears to represent? These and many other questions are what are on the minds of many Nigerians who observe the daily activity of these legislators who claim to represent Nigerians.
Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki recently hailed the senate sighting the number of bills, many which have become laws, that have been passed in the two years of law making. Ninety six was the number of bills highlighted as having been passed by the lawmakers. Speaker Yakubu Dogara of the House of Representatives also shares the sentiment. But with the myriad of bills passed, how come Nigerians have not started living a better life? A close assessment of the country shows that few gains have been made since democracy begun in Nigeria in 1999.
If there is anything like dividends of democracy, the people in government are the only ones who are seemingly enjoying them. Besides the presidency not understanding the arts of negotiation and lobbying, Buhari and Osinbajo appear to believe that they can actually run the country without the lawmakers. The Acting President Prof Osinbajo recently remarked that they do not need the Senate to approve the nomination of the Ibrahim Magu, The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC). Even Speaker Dogara has consistently but erroneously referred to the executive as the government, whereas constitutionally, the government refers to the executive, legislative and the judiciary. There are appears to be a constant struggle for supremacy between the legislative and executive. Instead of complimenting each other they appear to be competing against each other. The judiciary has been constantly approached to explain issues that could be and really should be sorted out at the negotiation table. For instance, the appropriation and budget composition. Liberal democracies around the world draw up budgets via an interplay of horsetrading and negotiation. The executive might set the agenda, but the legislative also has input. Why can our own bodies not understand this? Should such misunderstandings really be subject to the intervention of the courts? Is this not really a waste of time? Another rather embarrassing situation is the Federal Government from the offices of the Attorney General seeking to try the Senate President at a code of conduct bureau. How on earth does the executive expect cooperation from the leader of the senate if it is trying him for corruption or perjury? The option would be to remove the Senate President by lobbying his removal among legislators in the Senate, or work with him and make sure that the Presidency achieves its agenda. Its a catch 22. Without the interplay of the Executive and the Legislative there would be no success of this government and as Buhari and Osinbajo have recently begun to find out. Time is of essence.
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