By Linda Ogbonna
Prof. Adepoju Tejumaiye of the Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, has described the prolonged stay of lawmakers in office as a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
Tejumaiye said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos while reacting to the growing trend of lawmakers seeking to remain in office after serving several terms.
According to him, although experience is important in lawmaking, prolonged stay in office has not translated into effective legislative performance in Nigeria.
“If you look at democracy and governance generally, people spend long years because experience matters in lawmaking.
“The number of years you spend in the legislative assembly will give avenue to be able to make meaningful contribution to policies.
“In Nigeria, the reverse is the case; the more lawmakers stay in office, the more docile they become. They contribute less to debates and lawmaking processes,” he said.
The university don said that while long years of experience in legislative assemblies had proved beneficial in developed democracies, the same had not produced effective outcomes in Nigeria.
“The people should not encourage lawmakers to remain in office beyond two terms,we can amend the constitution to achieve this” he said.
Tejumaiye argued that after eight years, many lawmakers become less vibrant and no longer contribute effectively to legislative activities.
He called for constitutional reforms to formally limit lawmakers’ tenure, saying such measures would strengthen democratic governance and encourage fresh ideas in lawmaking. (NAN)
