On the Senator's Wall

Based on each and every of your recent posts here, one would be forgiven to believe that you have been and remain a "Business Person" as it clearly indicates on your profile. But that has not been the case for the better part of the last year and this one. You have been, in that time, an honourable member of what is the Presidential system of Government in Nigeria with three distinct but complementary arms namely the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary, each acting as a check on the other two. 

So, if you think these views of yours reflects badly on one arm because by happenstance you are in the opposition and so, as commonsense will have it, you are inculpable with no qualms about responsibility for bringing about a difference in the lives of Nigerians, it is to be then believed that some sense is lacking about what roles members of the Assembly play in the making or breaking of a country as ours. 

If someone who belongs to the body charged with the responsibility of appropriating money for spending in a country and with the job of making laws that govern the nation (even laws that the President must adhere to) spends all his waking hours pointing fingers at everyone else but the person in the mirror, questions need to be asked about psychological balance and mental maturity somewhere. 

When an elected individual representing a federal constituency invested with the power to call for the impeachment and trial of federal officials accused of wrongdoing prefers the comfort of social media to the courage to walk the talk by making that call in the Red Chambers if truly those accused on this wall are liable, question marks of intent and objective should hang in the air around such an individual. 

In sum, the fact remains in these words: no one else out there from whom you seek shared posts, likes and comments has as much power as you do to make things different. In you is the constitutionally vested power to change the status quo. Your commonsense revolution will go into overdrive if you can match your infomercial antics on TV with some achieved legislation you personally pursue to make into laws that touch the lives of the average Joe on the streets. You will realise that you will no longer need to introduce yourself. The Nigerians you've touched with good laws will do that on your behalf. 

And should anyone contravene said laws, you will again find that you have the power to bring them to justice. Even if that person is the President himself. Impeach him. Since we are into ads, I'd leave you with this line from Peak Milk, "It's in you."

Contra-Common Sense

It's a good day to see the serial voice on TV make an appearing in the Red Chamber. I'd not want to say the pressure of why a disparity of persona existed between who we see on TV and the man in the Senate paid off and forced his hand to brandish his brand of commonsense to his co-travellers. I wouldn't want to infer any such connections. No.

I'd simply allow anyone who watches the clip to think along certain margins. The wise money, I've often heard economists argue, is always on subsidising what can be a money earner for the government. Therefore, they insist on subsidising production rather than consumption. When you begin to subsidise commercial transportation because, as the commonsense argument holds, you want to make the right argument about oil (I doubt the Americans and the English are ignorant of what a litre costs though) and because you don't want demonstrations and protests when you deregulate, when you begin to subsidise transportation for that reason, how does that earn for the government? What happens to small and medium scale businesses that will be choked out of business because they simply can't operate in that climate? Will they also be subsidised next?

Then, car owners? Those who need to get from point A to point B for their businesses to run efficiently without the hassle of public transport? Ooh, everyone should abandon their personal cars and all use public transport? It is unimaginable the chaos that'll cause. Perhaps it is imaginable. Just think about it. On the other hand, maybe we should subsidise that as well. That's the new economics now. Subsidise It. Even while we're tightening out belts oo.

The focus shouldn't be on what to subsidise or cut subsidy on but to make more efficient services that ought to run autonomously without hitches. A more efficient supply of electrical power that ensures industrial manufacturing isn't hampered, good roads that allows goods produced here get there without hiccups and a transport system that you can boycott one and pick the competition to protest price hike in one or the other helps everyone better.

The Senator will also want more money to be given to States. Brilliant. Think along this margin on this one. The argument of political eggheads is that we run an awkwardly obtuse Federation. In true federal practice, the autonomy of constituent units is respected enough for them to be earning and keeping what they earn, contributing just enough for the federal government to run defense, welfare and government at the centre. They, unlike us, do not run to the centre for larger or smaller handouts.

The point is, the focus shouldn't be a "sharing formula" or on shrinking one for the good of the other. It is the relic of a military past that should be consigned to the trash. True federalism is the solution. And there's no better place to make this argument than at the National Assembly. What he's here suggesting suffers the same malaise as he accused everyone but himself of suffering. It is merely looking at symptoms while the ailment is draining the life away.

As presently constituted, the governors can't legislate on certain things that curtail infrastructural development of their States though they are conferred with powers, rights and obligations. Their short list of exercisable powers, rights and available powers limit their ability to meet some goals and running to Abuja, cap-in-hand, is often the only legal means to address it. I wouldn't want to go into the academic delineation of Exclusive, Residual and Concurrent Lists here but suffice to say that even as the Chief Security Officer of his State, a state governor isn't in-charge of the Police assigned to the State. Abuja itself, tied to this Constitution, also has limits to how far it can go to "share" (or to use the revered Senator's choice of phrasing "shrink"). Only last year, it was berated for bailing out States that couldn't pay salaries.

The work to be done to get Nigeria on the path of true progress isn't piecemeal. But it is doable. However, it won't be accomplished "overnight". I'd refrain from using "Mickey Mouse" steps but if the holes from where previously borrowed and earned sums leaked away our collective patrimony are not blocked before the humongous USD30trn the good man urged us to borrow arrives, then, I'm very sorry for the debt servicing that the next generation of Nigerians will inherit. Leakages have to be blocked and secured first, I'd assume.

Plus, there are other factors that play into borrowing than just the said amount and one would've thought the gentleman knowledgeable enough to know this. Or is borrowing to run a business that different from that done to run a country? I'd let the economists dissect that.

There's passion in his convictions, no doubt, and passion has its uses. But it seems, talking (so that they will not say I did not talk) was the intent here. Oops, sorry, I said I wasn't going to make that inference. My bad. Adding the tight-faced shushing of Dino was icing on the cake for me. Bravo Senator, bravo.