Chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress and the party’s Lagos Central senatorial candidate, Barrister Ladipo Johnson, on Monday, criticised Nigeria’s National Assembly, alleging that lawmakers have abandoned their constitutional oversight role and become complicit in actions that weaken accountability and public trust.
Speaking during VOP This Morning’s program on Voice of the People TV, Barrister Johnson claimed some lawmakers were prioritising political interests over their constitutional responsibility of checking executive excesses.
According to him, repeated extensions of the implementation period for the capital component of the national budget reflected broader concerns around fiscal discipline and institutional independence.
“A lot of our members of the House of Reps and Senate have turned themselves into an extension of the executive arm of government. They don’t perform their oversight functions properly, and Nigerians are fast losing confidence in them as well,” he said.
Mr Johnson added that recurring adjustments to budget timelines should trigger stronger public conversations around accountability and public finance management.
“The good thing, not deviating from what you’ve said, is that you see that you’ve extended your capital aspect of your budget for the third time in a row. So it shows that there’s no fiscal responsibility. A lot of things seem to be happening that have not come to the fore yet,” he stated.
He also expressed concern about what he described as public desensitisation to governance and security challenges.
“Whether it will work or not is a different thing. Nigerians are numb even to kidnappings now, unfortunately. We have been battered, we have been dealt with by the people we elected.
“If the same people who have not accounted to you for four years are reelected, then they have no reason to then account to you.”
Oshiomhole, anti-graft institutions raised
Also speaking during the programme, member of the African Democratic Congress, Dr. Dayo Kayode alleged that public institutions responsible for oversight and accountability require stronger independence.
Dr. Kayode claimed that lawmakers sometimes resist internal scrutiny and referenced discussions involving Adams Oshiomhole and oversight conversations around the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
“There is no way that we can run away from the fact that our elected officers are just there to milk our commonwealth brazenly.
“Look at the one that just happened between the Senate and the NNPC, to the extent that even Oshiomhole, who was trying to bring up a lot of issues, was now being connived against by his colleagues,” he said.
Dr. Kayode further called for reforms within anti-corruption and security institutions, arguing that stronger institutional independence would improve public trust.
He referenced public discussions surrounding allegations involving former Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa.
“Our EFCC and DSS must be overhauled too. They must have their independence because if they are being controlled by the executive, there’s no way they’ll be able to work,” he said.
Responding to allegations linking part of the funds under public discussion to the 2023 presidential campaign of Atiku Abubakar, Dr. Kayode questioned whether allegations had translated into proven wrongdoing.
“A lot of allegations have been put on Atiku’s lap, but which of them have been proven?” he said.
The comments add to ongoing conversations around legislative oversight, fiscal management and institutional independence in Nigeria’s political landscape.
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