Former Senate leader, Senator Ali Ndume has admitted that the current Nigeria’s governance system, which he is part of, is not fair to majority of Nigerians, asking Nigerians to demand for a referendum to effect a system that would improve their wellbeing.
Ndume, who represents Borno South, disclosed this while reacting to views expressed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Muhammad Sanusi, on the huge cost of governance in Nigeria.
“I am happy that the views expressed by the Vice – President and the former emir are in agreement with my position which I maintained in recent interviews I granted to the media. The comments of the two highly respected Nigerians have vindicated me,” he said.
He maintained that the current system was benefiting only a few people, which he said was not fair and would not allow the country to move forward.
“How can we live comfortably when only a few of us are living a life of luxury when the majority are living in abject poverty? The N30, 000 minimum wage is too small, it can make workers engage in corruption in order to survive.
The senator, however, said that to change from presidential democracy to parliamentary might be difficult for the National Assembly to undertake.
“As the vice president rightly said. It will be difficult for the system to be changed now because the National Assembly is solely responsible for lawmaking in the country and the amendments to the constitution.
“The excess power bestowed on an individual in the presidential system of government can be abused and had even been abused by many occupants of the office. Therefore, it is high time for Nigeria to look at the original system of government that we inherited.
“Since Nigeria was a British colony, we started with the Parliamentary system. All over the World today, parliamentary system of government is more popular than the Presidential system.
“It is also more effective in the sense that the head of government is more or less, one among equals of the parliamentarians. Therefore accountability is achieved in the chamber in the sense that the prime minister has to be in the parliament every day, and he must give account of government to his colleagues.
“However, in the Presidential system, Ministers who are not elected, not known or popular among the people, are given responsibilities which they abused because they are not accountable to people since they do not have the mandate of the electorate.
“Legal luminaries should look at the way the parliamentary system could be implemented. Like the Vice President suggested a national debate which should compel the National Assembly to either make it as part of the constitution amendment, or a resolution that emanated from the debate.