A former officer of the Nigerian Navy, Commodore Omatseye Nesiama (retd.) has challenged Nigerians to take critical look into the activities of the National Assembly.
Omatseye Nesiama, the candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party for the Delta South Senatorial District who alleged that NASS activities have contributed partly to the present socioeconomic woes in the country.
The retired Naval officer made the declaration in an interactive session with newsmen at Warri in Delta State that if the Executive is not performing, it is foolhardy for the legislators to say that the government s bad.
“The government can be bad only when the legislature is truly bad”, he added.
According to him, the legislators have failed to perform their functions effectively and checkmate the executive, where necessary which gives the executive a free rein to do whatever they want in their own pleasure.
“If we have a legislature that is a rubber stamp, for any bill that comes they just endorse it, then we will find ourselves where we are today. Probably worse off tomorrow.
Nesiama lamented that Nigerians have not been paying due attention to the role of lawmakers in the national polity.
He explained that candidates for the National Assembly should be those that have the quality to be able to articulate their views, and present their positions and the requests of their people convincingly in such a manner that other lawmakers would be able to buy in because it is a game of skill and wit at the National Assembly.
Commenting on the recurring crisis in the Niger Delta region, the retired Naval officer blamed the authorities for their poor strategic thinking and developmental plans.
On the Petroleum Industry Act, he canvassed for a further review to ensure allocation of licenses for modular refineries to communities that have oil bearing and compel such communities to take responsibility of protecting any pipeline that crisscrosses their territory.
Nesiama however told newsmen that the problem of crude oil safety in Nigeria goes beyond pipeline surveillance just as he dropped a bombshell that some of the declarations that were made about crude oil theft are lies.
Politics
Punch
0 Comments