The Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Sam Amadi, has sharply criticized Nigeria’s National Assembly, accusing it of transforming lawmaking into a mechanism for personal gain.
Speaking during a live interview on Arise Television on Thursday, Amadi argued that this shift has deepened the nation’s crisis of exclusion, shutting out many citizens, including those eager to engage in the political process.
“What we are witnessing is the National Assembly converting legislation into an avenue for self-aggrandizement, whether for the executive branch or for themselves,” Amadi stated. “The result is a mounting crisis fueled by exclusion.”
He acknowledged that, technically, the Assembly is entitled to establish rules governing its internal hierarchy. “There is nothing inherently wrong with the National Assembly creating procedures to define its structure,” he noted. “The Senate, the House of Representatives, and other bodies operate under constitutional guidelines. In this case, the Senate is free to self-regulate, and its rules encompass various elements.”
However, Amadi expressed concern over a troubling trend in the current Assembly: the move toward laws that are narrow, targeting specific individuals or events. “Consider the Electoral Act,” he said. “When they crafted the clause prohibiting party defection within a certain period, it was clearly aimed at particular people. Interestingly, those like Adams Oshiomhole, who now complain, were silent when laws were being framed to target others.”
He called for a return to inclusive, broad-based legislation that serves the public interest rather than individual ambitions.