Legislators and Legislation : A Comparative Analysis
Alabi Tunji Michael (ATM)
Legislation is the process of or primarily concerned with making or enacting laws for the peace, growth and development of a nation.
Legislators are the lawmakers who make or enact laws. They are members of a legislative body.
It should be noted that the quality of laws in existence is dependant on the quality of the legislators or legislative bodies, and until we have sound minds that are effective in these areas, as it is obtained where we copied our democratic system from, the system may not work efficiently.
Most developing nations, Nigeria inclusive, need working systems to make their countries great for the betterment of the people.
The health , education, transport, power, aviation, agriculture, water and housing systems, to mention but a few, are still crawling in developing nations.
In a working system, a governor will not borrow billions of naira to distribute to his political allies.
In a working system, electricity supply is constantly available. This will in return encourage industrialization, provide more employment opportunities and reduce over dependence on white color jobs.
In a working system, the citizens will be willing to pay taxes because they get the desired value for such compliance.
In a working system, undergraduate do not stand or hang on window frames to receive lectures not to talk of deficating in the bush because of lack of water in their dormitories.
In the Nigeria Presidential System of government, law making starts at the local government levels by the elected and not selected councillors , as it is being witnessed in many states in Nigeria.
The inability to conduct free, fair and credible elections at this level has drastically affected good governance and deprived the people at the grassroot, the expected dividends of democracy.
It is most pathetic that the personalities involved are being pocketed by some state governors through the local government chairmen.
The local governments where these legislators operate have
been denied autonomy by the state governors, even after the pronouncement by President Muhammadu Buhari, because they see that legislative arm as conduit pipe to embezzle the available fund meant for the growth and development at the grassroot.
It is only in this part of the world that a local government chairman or municipal head sign for the collection of one hundred million naira for developmental projects in their domain but end up getting thirty million naira.
What significant growth have you noticed in any of the thirty three (33) local governments in Oyo State since their inauguration ?
What impact do we expect from a legislator who can neither read nor write in this 21st century ?
We cannot keep electing lawmakers who will never sponsor a single bill for the many years they spend at the States Houses of Assemblies, Lower and Upper Chambers and be expecting human friendly laws that will give us hope of a better tomorrow .
Our destinies are in our own hands to change these ugly narratives if we so desire greatness of this uncommonly blessed country called Nigeria.
Primarily, legislators have three (3) main duties to perform.
One very significant duty of any legislator is lawmaking, as earlier stated, through bills and motions.
Lawmakers are concerned with the sponsor and debate on bills and motions so that proper laws are made and enacted in the country.
Oversight functions over the executives through the different committees is another duty of the legislators. That is why different committees are formed to check the effectiveness and efficiencies of the executive arm of government. Such committees include but not limited to committees on health, aviation, education, agriculture, transport, information.
Constituency outreach is also another major function of legislators. The lawmaker is expected to touch the lives of their constituents in ways unimaginable. The law maker must constantly engage with his people so as to enable them to provide relief and long lasting solutions to their needs.
Excelling on the floor of the house by making laws and sponsoring motions, performing brilliantly well in oversight functions through the various committees and reaching out to the people who voted them in by bringing the dividends of democracy to their doorsteps is a very demanding but compulsory tasks for law makers, who want their names written in gold.
This brings to mind the much talked about legislative star in Oyo State and South West as well as the reference name in the Nigerian Senate,
who has consistently proven what legislation is all about with his qualitative and unprecedented ways of representation.
This is neither exaggeration, political hyping nor bootlicking that the lawmaker representing Oyo North Senatorial District in the Upper Chamber, Distinguished Senator Dr AbdulFatai Omotayo Buhari, has excelled in all areas of these legislative duties.
Though, like Oliver Twist, more need to be done and can be done by the lawmaker to further project his already shining credentials.
Most state governors are underperforming while some are not even performing at all because there are no existing laws to make this happen.
As earlier said, the systems are poor because of the calibre of people we choose to represent us at the various levels of governance.
How many bills have your representatives in the state houses of assembly, federal house of representatives and in the Nigerian Senate sponsored or co- sponsored ? How many motions have your legislators moved ?
The failed system has permitted some of these inhumane and greedy “legislooters” to be buying fleets of cars and mansions, move in convey and keep wasting the scarce resources meant for the development of our communities.
Sadly, the electorates do not complain about these ineptitudes but are usually contended and happy to be receiving peanuts from these politicians.
The lawmaker representing Oyo North Senatorial District in the Upper Chamber is a unique legislator who has changed the face representation, not in Oyo North Senatorial District and Oyo State alone but the South West and Nigeria at large.
Senator Dr AbdulFatai Omotayo Buhari is
a lawmaker who knows what lawmaking is all about. His love for his people always spurs him to walk through these challenging terrain to make things work for his people.
Recently, he was ranked the fifth (5th) best senator in Nigeria with a total of fourteen (14) bills to also become the best lawmaker in Oyo State and the entire South West, in Bills Progression Productivity Index by OrderPaperToday.
That the total number of bills sponsored by his predeccessors in Oyo North Senatorial District, from 1999 to 2015, a period of sixteen (16) years, is eight (8), according to available records, shows the competency, proactiveness, zeal for excellence and productiveness of the lawmaker, who has really distinguished himself in all areas of legislation.
On oversight functions as a lawmaker, Distinguished Senator Dr AbdulFatai Omotayo Buhari has performed wonderfully well and set the pace for others to follow in the various committees he belongs to.
As the then Chairman Senate Committee on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) he floored all the thirteen (13) local governments in his senatorial districts with well equipped standard ICT (Computer) and CBT Centres. The pace he set in this capacity is what most of his colleagues are emulating til today.
His bill on the control of the cyberspace to curb the fraudulent activities of hackers and internet fraudsters
has drastically helped the anti graft agencies in this regard.
His bill on the need to have a debate for contestants, right from the presidency to the lowest political contesting offices, has significantly helped the masses in knowing the quality of minds of their would-be elected officers, which in no small measures, is aiding the development of some states in Nigeria.
As the Chairman of Senate Committee on Land Transport, it on record that the Nigeria Railway System has never been this effective and efficient since independence.
The lawmaker uses any opportunity at his disposal to speak on the importance of having such vibrant sector in the Nigeria economy and making it work while taking the welfare of the personnel into utmost consideration to avoid corruption, which can collapse the system.
He equally hammers on proper maintenance culture which has made many viable companies of the government to collapse in the country.
No lawmaker in Oyo State, since the inception of democracy, has been able to reach out to his constituents like Senator Dr AbdulFatai Omotayo Buhari. He has brought good governance/ dividends of democracy to the doorsteps of his people.
His three (3) empowerment programmes tagged BAF Empowerment Programmes, is a feat that will be very difficult , if not impossible to break because of the selfishness and greed of most of our politicians.
The lawmaker has trained over six thousand constituents and still counting on various skills acquisition programmes like farming, soap making, cosmotology, barbering, hair dressing, tiling, tie and dye, ICT, to mention but a few.
All selected participants from the senatorial districts are fed, certificated, given start up packs and training allowances in all the seminars, trainings, workshops facilitated by the lawmaker.
Senator AbdulFatai Omotayo Buhari has built schools, rehabilitated and constructed roads, constructed drainages in erosion prone areas, given out text books, supported students with cash, paid WAEC fees of six hundred (600) selected students of Oyo North Senatorial District, donated Solar Powered Boreholes and street lights, built standard library, facilitated the building of medical centres to his constituency and employed over one hundred and fifty people at the Federal level.
He is the first ever lawmaker in Oyo State to cater for the physically challenged persons by giving the one hundred and fifty (150) selected attendees, wheelchairs and cash.
His three (3) palliative measures and millions of naira donations to hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic and his immeasurable impacts to some endsars victims will forever remind evergreen in the minds of his constituents.
His ability to manager human beings well and his unprecedented achievements in all areas of legislation earned him the status, ” Omoluabi” which literally means born with good virtues.
Oyo State needs a good manager of human and our very scare financial resources to make her great.
To strategically reposition Oyo State to where it is supposed to be, we need an academic and politically qualified, competent, integrity proven, credible, honest, agreements honouring and God fearing as well as promise fulfilling politician, who will also ensure that laws that will make our failed sectors work effectively for the benefits of our people are enacted.
Oyo State needs the calibre of the Distinguished Senator Dr AbdulFatai Omotayo Buhari, with vast experience and knowledge about government and governance, to take her to the zenith, where the hope of a better tomorrow can be assured.
God Bless Oyo State.
God Bless Nigeria.
