In a bold proposal aimed at completely restructuring Nigeria's federal government expenditures, the lawmaker representing the Borno South Senatorial District, Senator Ali Ndume, has called for a fundamental overhaul of the nation's legislative architecture. The prominent lawmaker has recommended that members of the National Assembly—encompassing both the Senate and the House of Representatives—should transition to serving entirely on a part-time basis rather than operating as permanent, full-time public officials.
Senator Ndume argued that the current economic realities of the country necessitate immediate measures to slash the high cost of governance. He proposed that federal lawmakers should no longer be entitled to fixed, guaranteed monthly salaries. Instead, he suggested a radical structural pivot where legislators would only receive financial compensation based on their physical attendance and active participation at plenary sessions and various committee oversight engagements.
The veteran politician made these declarations on Friday afternoon during a live interview broadcast on Trust TV. Throughout the media engagement, Ndume raised critical structural concerns over the institutional design of the National Assembly and the massive recurrent expenditure required to sustain it. He pointed out that legislators do not function like standard civil servants or corporate employees who are contractually obligated to report to an office desk from Monday through Friday. He explained that the vast majority of core legislative duties revolve around periodic plenary sittings and targeted committee tasks, making the current, highly expensive full-time arrangement largely unnecessary and unjustifiable.
During the television interview, Senator Ndume questioned the efficiency of the current legislative model, noting the frequent recesses built into the parliamentary calendar. He stated that lawmakers are on recess for a significant portion of the year, yet they continue to draw heavy financial resources from the federation account. He advocated for a shift toward a payment-by-sitting system, arguing that legislators should only be compensated for the days they are actively working in the chambers.
The Borno South representative further illustrated his point by highlighting recent parliamentary activities, referencing an emergency meeting called on Wednesday to address pressing national issues. He noted that the National Assembly could easily adapt to a part-time structure where members are summoned dynamically to tackle specific legislative duties as they arise. Among the urgent national issues discussed during the mid-week emergency session was the ongoing constitutional amendment debate regarding the creation of state policing, a policy shift that Ndume admitted he has major reservations about due to the rapid speed with which the political class is trying to push it through.
The lawmaker utilized the national media platform to express deep anxieties over the current handling of discussions surrounding the state police bill, issuing a direct warning to his colleagues and the executive arm against rushing sensitive legislative decisions on delicate national security matrices. Ndume fiercely argued that fundamental changes to the country's internal security framework require extensive grassroots consultations, painstaking debates, and exhaustive contributions from diverse relevant stakeholders before any final constitutional changes are permanently codified into law.
He firmly admonished the leadership of the Senate against rushing to pass sweeping, major structural policies simply to satisfy immediate executive pressure or presidential preferences. He emphasized that the primary constitutional duty of the legislature is to perform rigorous oversight, proper scrutiny, and detailed analysis before giving legislative approval to such monumental governance reforms.
Senator Ndume reminded the public that the Senate is traditionally designed to function as a stabilizing chamber of elders. He stated that the institution should not simply sit down one day and pass an overnight bill just because the president expresses an interest in state police. He stressed that a responsible legislature is supposed to sit down, deliberate deeply on the long-term societal implications, and actively gather expert input from across the federation. He concluded by questioning the practical efficacy of the assembly's current fast-tracked legislative approach, pointing out that even though the bill has progressed significantly through the initial legislative stages, the state police system has not actually taken off or solved the country's immediate operational security challenges on the ground today.
