Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Bola Ajibola, has said that lawmakers should be made to serve on a part-time basis in order to reduce the cost of governance.

The Senate

Ajibola, a former World Court judge in Hague, lamented with the economy already in comatose, the cost of running the government and maintaining the federal lawmakers, if not cut as a matter of urgency, would spell doom for the country,.

Speaking with journalists on the sidelines of a Ramadan Lecture, organised by the Islamic Mission for Africa (IMA), at the IMA Research Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun state capital, he regretted that the emolument of federal legislators as well as the cost of running government bureaucracy is higher than what the expenditure on infrastructure development.

Still on the need for part-time legislators as was witnessed during the short-lived third republic, Ajibola stressed that the lawmakers should serve on part-time basis, thereby making the positions less attractive. In that way, he continued, only people with sincere and patriotic zeal to serve the country would offer themselves for service at the National Assembly.

“The reduction of cost of running the Senate from N150 billion to N120 billion as stated by the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki is cosmetic and farce. We must really reduce the cost of governance to the barest minimum if we are serious about moving the nation forward. Our economy is seriously ill and with time, it will not be able to support this reckless government spending.

“The international community which forms the cartel that buys our oil is alarmed by our reckless spending. We need to be careful so that we will not turn our currency into just a worthless papers. So, I am seriously of the opinion that the humongous amount of money being spent on governance should be reduced and channelled such fund towards the socio-economic development of our nation,” Ajibola said.

The erstwhile Attorney-General, however called on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the impasse at the National Assembly, adding that a stable and peaceful federal legislature would help in  bringing the desired change in the polity.

“The president should look inwards and settle the crisis emanating from the National Assembly as a result of the emergence of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara. He should close all ranks within the party so that there will be unity among the lawmakers,” Ajibola said.