Yinka Olaito
From the ancient Athenian use, the word legislature, was associated with European monarch that hosted the assembly of the nobility. Based on available record, the earliest record of legislature was the Icelandic Althing founded in 930CE. In its original form, nobody of flawed nobility in character and wealth of knowledge was invited. A major function of these noble people is to discuss issues that are affecting the society and beyond these represent the interest of their constituencies.
Checking on original use of the word- senate/tor, it is also from the Latin- ‘senatu’. This refers to Senator who must be matured (wo)men who had lived long enough to have gained experience and wisdom. The goal of senator, been elderly with wisdom is legacy and not acquisition.
I have to establish the foregoing in the light of the ongoing conversations around Nigeria’s national as well as state assembly components. Presently Nigerians face a hard time occasioned by harsh economic realities among other seemingly unsurmountable challenges.
Given the background of an average legislature, either in the house of representative or Senate chamber earning over twenty Million Naira monthly in the face of many impoverished Nigerians who are mostly living on less than two US dollars (equivalent of three thousand naira per day) while they (both the Executive and Legislative Arms) continue to appeal to Nigerians to exercise patience call for concerns.
May be we can begin by assessing who an honourable representative and Senator should be in an ideal society. Given Nigerian constitution, a representative who made it to the national assemble should carry the burden of an average of two hundred and fifty thousand or more on his/her shoulder while a Senator should be the eye and burden bearer for average of seven hundred and fifty thousand Nigerians.
The conclusion of this is not far-fetched given the number of federal constituencies as well as senatorial districts we have, any dummy can do the maths. A true representative is selected, elected to act and speak on behalf of wider audience with a burning passion to continuously seek the well-being of the represented.
A repetitive act or does business on behalf of others whom s/he daily represents and carries their burden. A representative should be an ambassador, a servant/minister for the populace s/he stands for. S/he is supposed to be a distributor of value an emissary who diligently seeks for information which can be of value to the constituency.
A true representative is first to wear the above regalia, before the second nomenclature, being a member of house of representative or ‘the green chamber’ as we have it in Nigeria, becomes the norm.
Where a representative sees him/herself first as a member of a house of representative, the order is already misplaced. Being a member of house of representative confers honour, power and a level of eminency that will make an individual forget s/he is wearing the toga of a servant.
Again, the same applies to a senator. A senator is also supposed to be an elderly person (in term of knowledge of politics, finance, economy etc) with ability to apply such in ensuring the country and his/her entire senatorial districts can be fed from such wealth of knowledge. Where a senator first identifies as a member of senate chamber over being a distributor of knowledge and guiding the populace, executive on the ways to make life easy and healthy for member of the society, the value becomes misplaced.
In a society that can hardly survive, information available claim many members of the house of the representative and Senate are given a SUV, Toyota brand, worth about One Hundred and fifty thousand Us Dollar. Each goes home monthly with average pay of Twenty Million Naira and are collecting or had collected an amount close to Four hundred or five Hundred Million Naira constituency allowance did point to the fact that we have members of the house of representative or senate in Nigeria.
The aura and privileges of the office might have made many of them to forget their status is hold in trust for the majority of Nigerians they represent.
It is true we do have information that three of the members of house of representative refused to accept the official car allotted to them because in their own estimation, the suffering of majority they represent may not allow such luxury.
Nigerians may just for now accept the realities of their suffering as long as our representatives, senators think first of themselves as members of hallowed chamber, where benefits becloud the realities of the suffering majority are going through when compared to the privileged few.
