‘Oversight responsibility of NASS has collapsed’ – Senator Ndume

Senator representing Bo4no South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume has said that the core responsibility of oversight of the National Assembly has collapsed.

The radical lawmaker stated this in an interview with Dan’Uwa Rano TV, saying, the current functioning of the parliament calls for concerns.

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In his criticism of the legislature, the lawmaker said, there was no proper scrutiny of government policies which makes it look as if ‘we are doing nothing in the National Assembly.’

The lawmaker, who has in recent times been vocal in criticising some policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, expressed dissatisfaction with what he described as the routine approval of executive proposals by the legislature.

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He said the oversight responsibility of the National Assembly which was meant to check government activities and accountability in governance has completely become ineffective these days.

Ndume said: “There is no oversight at the National Assembly anymore. We are doing nothing. The way the National Assembly is functioning amounts to nothing,” he said.

He expressed if the legislature was still relevant in the circumstances that it found itself.

“I don’t know which is better between its existence and nonexistence. I am one of them,” he added, acknowledging that he is also a member of the institution he criticised.

When asked whether the National Assembly itself constitutes the country’s major challenge, Ndume said the legislators should not be blamed as Nigeria’s primary problem.

Instead, he suggested that societal attitudes and values play a major role in shaping the quality of leadership.

According to him, leadership often reflects the character and values of the society that produces it.

The senator cited a religious teaching to emphasise his point about societal responsibility in governance.

“Allah says He does not change the condition of a people until they change what is within them; meaning if the society is righteous, their leaders tend to be righteous,” he said.

Ndume added that citizens must take greater responsibility in shaping leadership outcomes.

“The poor has allowed this opportunity to wither away,” he stated.

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