THAT UNBRIDLED REJECTION OF NECESSARY AUTONOMY BY EDO STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY IS DANGEROUS TO DEMOCRACY
Dr. Ehiogie West Idahosa
Edo State House of Assembly’s recent rejection of financial autonomy marks a new low ground in the on going legislative imperialism of State Assemblies in Nigeria. Executive expansion of dominance and exploitation of the weaker legislature has eroded the sense of placement inherent in the practice of separation of powers characteristic of modern democracy. The unequal exchange of perks of office has led to a final surrender of the power of the purse which is the strength and preserve of the legislature worldwide, by Edo State House of Assembly.
In return, the lawmakers get aids in kind or cash, a few foreign trips and guarantee of second term Party tickets. But what would this mean against the loss of the innate right of the legislature to check the Executive from misusing public funds appropriated for public good? The answer is discernible.
Who will deal with the debt burden of Edo State which has reached astronomical levels? The State’s scarce resources from internally generated revenue borne by the poor man and woman on the streets and federal allocations would end up servicing the huge debt without a wimp from the law makers whose autonomy has been voluntarily mortgaged at the risk of jeopardizing the balance of power in the State.
Plunder of State resources, tax abuses, poverty, wide spread unemployment, disease, maladministration and a host of anomalies would become the cynosure of this new wave of legislative imperialism. The Assembly must save itself this embarrassment by reviewing their decision. A motion ought to be tabled to review that decision and vote on the side of sustainable democracy for the sake of the generations of Edo people alive and those yet unborn. Anything short of this, would entitle the present members of that House to an unenviable space in the political museum of infamy.
The legendary Jimmy Cliff once sang about a hard to travel and a long way to go. I hope Edo State is not yet
there.
Dr. West-Idahosa (Nigerian lawyer and policy analyst)