By KEMI KASUMU
Chairman, Presidential Anti-Corruption Advisory Committee (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay, is in the news against with his call on proponents of new agitation for parliamentary system of government in the country to beware of their wishes.
The professor of law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), according to The NATION’s report, believes that the proponents pushing for the parliamentary system, who are he noted in the call as members of Eight National Assembly, are engaging in wasteful diversion of time and resources.
The chief anti-corruption adviser to the President of Nigeria, Sagay, exposed the intention of the legislators as demanding parliamentary system at this time mainly to reduce the powers of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The DEFENDER, following the condemnation of presidential system and demand parliamentary system of government by lawmakers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recently, had reported critics who said the opposition lawmakers were doing for two reasons: acknowledgement of failure of their presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar to defeat President Muhammadu Buhari despite their gang-up at the elections and thinking that they will return to the 9th Assembly and continue their sabotage of his government.
But Sagay assures the opposition lawmakers, pointing it out clearly to them, that they were only engaging in wastefulness of their own time due to ignorance and mischief, adding that their mischief being to have a Buhari with reduced powers.
His words: “Once again Nigerians (this time unemployed legislators) have found a new favourite subject for debate and wasteful diversion of time and resources. Suddenly, Parliamentary System of Government is the holy grail for Nigerian political salvation. For days now, the media, both orthodox and social have become fiercely engaged in pursuing a new political chimera with excitement and apparent seriousness.
“Let it be made clear, the whole idea of one system being better than the other is “poppy cock”, time wasting, arising from either ignorance or mischief. The mischief here being to have a Buhari with reduced powers.
“In 1963, when I was an undergraduate at the University of Ife, the Students’ Union invited Chief Rotimi Williams, soon after he left office as Attorney-General of the Western Region, to address the Students’ Body on which system was preferable for Nigeria: Parliamentary or Presidential? I have never forgotten his answer. Briefly summarized, it was that neither of the two systems was better than the other. The success of Governance depended on the quality of the operators of government. Bad operators, i.e., bad politicians and “leaders” would always produce bad and failed governance. In other words, the fault was not in the system of governance, but in the quality of the operators of the system.
“We were operating this suddenly “golden” parliamentary system then. It led to a declaration of a state of emergency in the Western Region, restriction and detention of major political figures, crisis and violence, and the fall of the first Republic. The fault dear Nigerians, was not in that system, but in the irresponsible and reckless manner in which First Republic politicians conducted themselves.
“It is even more foolish to think that the introduction of the parliamentary system will weaken the Buhari Government and empower the opposition. On the contrary, the Prime Minister under a Parliamentary System is far more powerful than a President under the Presidential system. The Prime Minister combines the positions of Leader of Parliament and Head of Government. He does not need the confirmation of parliament to appoint Ministers. It is his sole prerogative. If a vote of no confidence against him succeeds, he can dissolve parliament, and compel his critics and foes to face a fresh election in which they might not be returned. In other words, a Prime Minister is President and Speaker of the House of Representatives rolled into one. Never mind the fact that the British Parliament has someone designated “Speaker”. All he does is to recognize House members who wish to speak. The Prime Minister must be recognized above every other person as soon as he or she rises up to speak. The Speaker has no discretion in that regard. It is the British Prime Minister who exercises all the powers currently enjoyed by the Nigerian speaker. The House of Lords (Senate) is simply a decoration intended to give the aristocracy and retired elder statesmen a false sense of importance and relevance.
“The Prime Minister is effectively, National President, Speaker and President of the Senate, rolled into one. To bring home the message clearly, there will be no “Saraki”, no “Dogara”- in that system. Buhari will bestride the Nigerian World, under the parliamentary system being proposed.
“The Senate and its President in such a system is an impotent and relatively unimportant body. It can delay, but cannot hold-up legislation. In fact its opposition to any bill can be overridden by the House under the leadership of the Prime Minister.
“So those calling for the re-introduction of the Parliamentary system in the mistaken belief that it will result in a weak Executive Branch should think again. They are foolishly asking for a system in which a powerful Prime Minister will control both the Legislative and the Executive Arms of Government. My advice to them is:”Beware of what you wish for yourselves”.”
