A growing number of Nigerians are now pushing for a change in the nation’s system of government.
The House of Representatives has moved to alter the 1999 constitution to allow for a change from presidential system which, it argued, is to expensive, to a parliamentary system.
Elder statesman and First Republic lawmaker, Alhaji Aminu Dantata, yesterday backed the advocacy by the 60 members of the House of Representatives for Nigeria’s return to the parliamentary system of government.
Dantata made the commendation when he received some of the lawmakers led by the minority leader of the House, Kingsley Chinda, who paid him a courtesy visit at his residence in Kano State recently.
The elder statesman said the parliamentary system is not only better for Nigeria but, “it’s cheaper, less cumbersome, and would enhance stability, and is easy to run.”
The renowned business mogul, explained that the “parliamentary system is better and cheaper for Nigeria but the presidential system is very costly, especially with the current economic situation in the country.”
Dantata, who was a former member of parliament during the First Republic, lauded the members for taking the bold step and expressed hope that the 60 lawmakers would get more members in the National Assembly to support the project.
“I hope and pray that you will get more members in the Assembly to support the project,” he said.
He prayed that the current security challenges bedeviling the country would come to an end.
In an interview with journalists shortly after the courtesy visit, minority leader of the House of Representatives Kingsley Chinda, who led the delegation, said all the members who sponsored the Bill on Nigeria’s return to the parliamentary system remain committed in addition to being sincere in carrying out the project.
“There is no magic that the President and his team can work to cut down drastically this cost. Even where we say we are forgoing all our allowances, you will find out it is just a drop in the ocean. So we need to do something drastic because our country is cocktailing.”
Chinda pointed out that accountability could be better under a parliamentary system than what is obtained today, “I can tell you that, if we are operating a parliamentary system, with the number of motions and bills that have been taking on the floor of the house concerning the issue of insecurity.”
“The prime minister would have been asked to vacate his seat and that would have happened. And that would make everybody to sit up. Resolutions of the National Assembly sometimes are not taken very seriously without blaming anybody but because of the nature of the system that we practice.” he stated.
The minority leader further explained the reason they sponsored the bill thus: “we are proposing that the time has come for us to work outside the box and take that leap and reintroduce a parliamentary system of government in this country that will help us begin to solve a lot of the problems that we have in Nigeria.”
Chinda reiterated that the return of Nigeria to a parliamentary system is in the best interest of Nigerians and the country at large.
He however thanked the business mogul for giving them the useful advices and input adding that they will continue to draw from his wealth of experience.
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