WITH weeks to the end of the life of this National Assembly, there are no apologies to Nigerians about how men and women elected to make laws for the good of the people dedicated themselves to self-serving causes.

More pathetic is the House of Representatives, where the most pressing issue is that legislators were not paid in April and are wondering if they would be paid in May. Few Nigerians would sympathise with them after four years during which their attention was on legislator welfare.

Is it possible the House of Representatives did not hear of government organisations that owe their staff arrears of salaries for months or the more disturbing issue of pensioners, old men and women, whose offence appears to be that while in service they did not steal so they can live without pension?

Hundreds of petitions are in the files of the National Assembly on governments’ violations of workers’ rights. Pensioners have invested their meagre resources to seek assistance of their representatives on their plight to no avail. After being owed for one month — with the millions of Naira they made in four years — legislators are already complaining.

Their insensitivity is a lesson on the Nigerian politician. Their desperation to pay themselves has led to the brewing scandal about a loan of N10 billion which the House wanted to use in running its affairs since the budget was not passed.

Welfare of legislators is a primary concern, which they will not compromise under any circumstance. They showed it while pretending to be making laws for the common good.

They have no concerns about the wastes that the National Assembly has become through activities that drain the economy. All would have been well if the legislators got their benefits. They have not heard of unavailability of kerosene to millions of Nigerians, who could buy adulterated products, which may lead to deaths.

Our legislators know they will be beneficiaries of this unbecoming selfishness when they are no longer members. The departing members are therefore the more desperate. They know how easily their colleagues will forget them.

All these lead to the unending crisis about our rights and obligations. Why is it easy to violate people’s rights without sanction? Is anyone above being a victim? Who will be the next victim?

People in authority should ordinarily use their offices for the good of all. In failing to see anything wrong in the violation of others’ rights they forget that they could be victim too. However, people refuse to learn this lesson, which is why the situation is unchanging.

Decisions based on selfishness often backfire. The National Assembly got into this fix because it hiked the budget figures. The President refused to assent.

While members of the National Assembly manage to place themselves above the circumstances of ordinary Nigerians, they do not reckon with the fact that they are still human beings and could be hurt by factors that are beyond their control.

If they go for a few more months without pay, maybe they will start having an inkling of how unprivileged Nigerians survive.