Already, several lawmakers have applauded the initiative, as well as the regular appraisal of members of the National Assembly, which the CSO says is aimed at strengthening the legislature and “identifying and sustaining a distinct class of legislators who are performance-driven, excellence-inspired, and public-spirited.”
The Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Honourable Mohammed Tahir Monguno agrees. Monguno, in his speech at the unveiling of the third year appraisal, had noted that the previous appraisals by the organization has engendered healthy competition amongst the lawmakers and helped to keep parliamentarians on their toes.
“Your work has made members to be on their toes and compete amongst themselves to sponsor bills and also to improve on the quality of bills that are being sponsored. You are complementing the role of the legislature. You are upping the ante of legislature,” the chief whip stated.
He added that “the barometer of rating the performance of the lawmaker is not by the number of burials or wedding ceremony he attends, but by the number of bills he has sponsored that have seen the light of the day.”
Similarly, the deputy minority leader, Toby Okechukwu said the Order Paper was setting agenda for the lawmakers and motivating them to do more.
Okechukwu noted that “it is critical that you make an assessment on how impactful bills have been, not just the preponderance but also the numbers, and to the extent they add values, you got a lot of work to do, those that have been signed and those that have been impactful,”
Nevertheless, in the run-up to the inauguration of the 10th assembly, pundits say the performance of the lawmakers in the outgoing assembly should form part of the yardstick for deciding those who should preside over the Senate and the House in the next dispensation.
Incidentally, among the 20 nominees for the MVP Hall of Fame are four of those contesting to lead the National Assembly in the next dispensation, including the former Abia State governor. Senator Kalu, who is a front runner for the position of President of the Senate in the 10th assembly was credited with the sponsorship of 25 bills at the end of the third session of the ninth assembly. He is also ranked number one among former governors in the Senate, in terms of bills sponsorship.
Apart from Kalu, other contenders for the leadership of the National Assembly, who made the MVP shortlist are the House spokesman and Waive. The duo are gunning for the position of speaker of the Green chamber.
Epia opines that the choice of the leadership of the 10th assembly should be guided by the performance of the various contenders in the outgoing assembly.
According to him, “ we have been able to offer performance appraisals of the National Assembly and provide a valid and objective basis for citizens to determine the suitability or otherwise of incumbent legislators seeking to become speaker, deputy speaker, president of the Senate and deputy president of the Senate as well as principal officers in both chambers.
“We believe that the contestations for the presiding and principal officers of the 10th National Assembly should be viewed from the broader and more objective perspective of performance, capacity and character.
“While zoning is a credible criteria given the context of Nigeria’s diversity and the necessary requirement for inclusion and power-balancing, it is in the overriding national interest to also prioritize track record. Citizens have a right to know and make valid judgements on the suitability or otherwise of those seeking to become leaders of the legislature, which is the most critical arm of government in a democracy.”
SUN NEWS
