Our plethora of legislators in the local, state and federal levels have become superfluously obsessed by the syndrome of “constituency projects”, referring to projects over which they can lay a claim to as individuals, projects that can be attributable to each self as honorable or “distinguished senator”. This is ostensibly to ensure increased political support. What an illusion.

This vain obsession with “constituency projects” has caused so many quarrels between the national assembly and the executive that it led to delays in the passage of the 2008 federal budget.

Left to most legislators, these budgetary allocations for “constituency projects” could well be handed over to them in cash. Indeed, a lot of the states do this, and legislators quietly collect huge sums of money and fritter away in the name of “empowerment”. The recent widely reported furor over cash deposited to Osun State Action Congress (AC) legislators’ personal accounts was blown open only because of the fierce opposition existing in Osun State. The truth is that nearly all the states disburse constituency money as money to be used personally. It is never reported by the media.

Let me digress a little with a brief focus on our media and the issue of reporting or not reporting what political leader-crooks do with our resources. Our corrupt media does not report money that changes hands between the state and politicians. Yes, all you need do is settle the correspondents of the major media covering the state in question. For instance, the Gombe State governor, Danjuma Goje attracted wide public anger and opprobrium for making the issue of 200 million “pension” to himself and his predecessor a media event, it backfired. I’m sure if Goje knew it would cause public uproar rather than praise, he would have issued the sleaze-checks secretly: Well, Ibrahim Shekarau, the “mallam” that governs Kano State reportedly handed a “pension” check of 500 million naira to his predecessor and erstwhile Defense Minister, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. The press was loudly silent on the Kano brigandage. If this is true, then this silence on the Kano “pension” by the press was not for nothing. Sorry for the digression. 

Back to legislators as “do-allers”, one federal representative from Imo State was reported by the Nation Newspaper thus: “The lawmaker said he was going to spend about N20 million on infrastructure and education, adding that the four constituencies would get a two-block classrooms each…The classrooms would be sited at both Afikpo and Edda, either in a primary or secondary school compound, a project, he said, would cost about N16 million…The former House of Assembly Speaker said a medical doctor had been contracted to supply eye glasses and drugs to the constituency, a project, he said, he earmarked about N2 million to execute…A committee is to be set up to discuss the modus operandi of how candidates would be nominated to benefit from my scholarship scheme…”. (See http://www.thenationonlineng.com/dynamicpage.asp?id=59147).

If you asked legislators their achievements, the likely list of each one would be: “empowerment” (distributing money or motor-bikes to party thugs), scholarships (distributing money to students, or people/thugs claiming to be “students”), I supported over 30 weddings, funeral and naming ceremonies, distributed 100 sewing machines, 100 mini-grinding mills etc. There is no problem for a legislator to do all these as a philanthropist, provided s/he uses personal money and clearly tells citizens that it was her/his personal money. But the issue of "distributing" sewing machines and grinding mills does not take away any poverty from the constituency, this is another matter for another long discussion.

Having said this let me proceed to briefly look at the key roles of legislators and how they could wisely manipulate their roles to achieve for their constituents manifold what “constituency projects” cannot.

Legislators by their constitutional role are supposed to represent the people. By representation, they are supposed to serve as the eyes, mouth and ears of the people. They should simply see issues according to how their constituencies view the issues and according to the interests of the constituent communities. They should use their ears to listen to issues as the ears of their constituents would listen to the issues. They should use their mouths to tell the legislature how the issues concern or how issues affect or will affect their constituencies.

Another key function of the legislature is oversight over the executive. This is a function that our legislators are yet to start carrying out effectively. Oversight is supposed to ensure institutional checks and balances, a value of all functional democracies. Among our representatives, oversight is cheaply construed as a tool to either fight or cooperate with the executive for their own selfish ends, to the detriment of the citizens’ interests they are supposed to promote and ensure. This is a classic case of two elephants subjecting the surrounding grass to suffering whether they are engaged in fighting or making love.

The other key responsibility of the legislator is that of making laws. Very important here is the annual budget law, one which they have and could utilize as a strong leverage to ensure infrastructural development in their constituencies. In states of the U.S.A., budgets originate from the executive branch in some of the states, and from the legislative branch in others. Where draft budgets originate from the executive branch, representatives are free to talk the needs of their constituencies with and influence the executive to site or include projects that will meet the needs and interests of their electoral constituencies.

Thus, the two constitutionally guaranteed role of budget-lawmaking and oversight are powerful roles that could be smartly blended by legislators to achieve a lot for their constituencies.

If they are in close communication with their constituencies, and truly have their interests as representatives, as their eyes, ears and mouthpiece, they should be able to work closely with the executive from the beginning of the budget drafting process, legislators, legislative committees and caucuses could then work with one another to see how they can achieve in each budget year, in a kind of “scratch my back today, I scratch your back tomorrow” fashion. Collectively, they could then use oversight to ensure development for their people.

It is a sad development that this obsession with “my project” has become the past time of legislators. Who told them that they should take over the job of the executive by providing infrastructure? Did the constitution give them this role?

They should stop this illusion of “do all”. They cannot meet half the needs of their people, even if they were genuine in demanding to execute such “constituency projects”. The chunk of their time should be dedicated to systematically listening to needs and concerns of their constituent populations, aggregating these needs and raise them on the legislative floor or chambers. Not seek to grab money to personally “execute” “constituency projects”.

Working as program manager of a capacity building program for state legislators and legislative support staff over five years from 2002, legislators consistently complained of being overwhelmed beyond their official and private capacities, by complaints and demands of their constituents. I often told them (the legislators) they had no one but themselves to blame for this: they gleefully promised their constituent populations heaven and paradise not only in the form of “projects”, but also for the provision for purely “personal/private” needs. We are in serious trouble if the serious business of legislatures is reduced to such level of pettiness. There is no point lying to the people, which brings me to mentioning the very important role of the legislator as an educators and mobilizers.

Legislators educate by communicating the happenings in government, the processes of government, and the policies of government among other issues, to their constituencies. Legislators must not be super-skilled or super-educated to achieve this, but they must understand the issues, with the right collection of support staff, and the establishment of the right structures, for which they claim millions of naira periodically as “constituency allowance”, they should be able to tell people their own limitations and also the limitations of the government.

For illustrative purposes, if I as a legislator organized a town hall or community meeting and the members of the community listed their three (3) major needs as renovation of the secondary school, renovation of the main road that connects the villages and renovation of the community Healthcare Center. Should I promise them all three demands as a lawmaker? That would be trouble. But I should be able to educate them on the scarce resources available to government and then ask them to choose one out of the three. I should be able to leverage the concerned ministry/agency and/or governor to have it in the following year’s budget; I should be able to leverage with fellow members to ensure it is passed in the budget; I should be able to leverage the committee concerned to check out and ensure the implementation of the project through effective oversight. If the promised project is completed, is this not better and easier to do as a legislator than insisting on “constituency project”? Will it not increase the amount of trust and raise my political capital as a legislator?

Robot  Villager

# 1 Our plethora of legislators in the local, state and federal level have become superfluously obs...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 14.08.2008 22:22

bobokite  Villager

# 2 The constituency development money has been an avenue by which legislators siphon millions and the press does little about it. None of them can really point to one visible project other than giving Okada to the youths/thugs. It’s really very sad! Posted by bobokite| 15.08.2008 12:20

aguabata  Villager

# 3 is it not those thieves who bribed, rigged and were ready to kill or be killed to win elections that we are talking about? or is it perharps a handful of them that has a reasonably clean sheet you are helping build 'capacity'? the country is corrupt, the first step is to have a credible election, let the people know they can vote someone in or out, let the elected people appreciate they've been voted in. presently these legislators know they got their victories by their strength not through the peoples mandate, how do you expect them to behave? they own their constituency funds. Posted by aguabata| 15.08.2008 15:56

datuouwadaberechi  Villager

# 4 thanks for this needful article. the sad thing is that most of the so-called legislators really and truly dont know what they were "selected" for. but since they werent elected, it is no surprise really. abeg, tell them! Posted by datuouwadaberechi| 15.08.2008 16:21