HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY NOW A PLACE OF REST AND COMFORT

By Chukwu Abia C. | Grassrootsmirro 

“When those sent to work for the people turn the workplace into their resting place, democracy becomes a spectator sport.”

In a functioning democracy, legislative chambers—be they State Houses of Assembly, the Senate, or the House of Representatives—are meant to be engines of governance. They should be arenas of debate, lawmaking, and oversight where public interest is pursued with urgency and discipline.

But across Nigeria, there is a growing perception that these institutions have become places of rest and comfort—not for the public, but for the lawmakers themselves. Instead of bustling centers of performance, they sometimes resemble exclusive lounges: insulated from the struggles of ordinary citizens, yet generously maintained with public funds.

Legislative arm of the government 

A legislative seat is supposed to be an office of responsibility—requiring research, attendance, preparation, and engagement. Yet in many cases, these expectations fade once elections are won.

Some lawmakers treat legislative service not as a contract with their constituents but as a personal reward. The chamber becomes a rest house, a place to sit in air-conditioned comfort, collect allowances, and enjoy privileges, while real legislative performance is minimal.

Several patterns fuel the “comfort over performance” culture:

1. Low Legislative Attendance
   Plenary and committee attendance rates in some assemblies are poor. Important bills and motions are sometimes debated by only a fraction of members.

2. Minimal Legislative Output
   Sessions may stretch for months with few bills passed or motions implemented. Committees often fail to submit reports on time, reducing oversight effectiveness.

3. Overemphasis on Allowances and Benefits
   Public discourse often reveals how much attention legislators pay to salaries, sitting allowances, travel allowances, and constituency project funds—contrasted with the little they pay to actual legislative productivity.

4. Political Shielding
   Many legislators are more loyal to party leaders and political benefactors than to the public. As long as political allegiance is maintained, poor performance carries no consequences.

When legislative chambers are treated as rest houses instead of work stations, the nation suffers in multiple ways:

• Poor Laws and Weak Policies: Without rigorous debate and research, laws passed may be shallow, outdated, or poorly enforced.
• Ineffective Oversight: Ministries, departments, and agencies escape scrutiny, leading to waste, corruption, and stalled projects.
• Loss of Public Trust: Citizens begin to see the legislature as a self-serving elite club, eroding confidence in democratic institutions.
• Stalled Development: Budgets may be approved late, key reforms ignored, and urgent national or state needs neglected.

Why this act ?

1. Weak Accountability Systems
   In many states, there are no robust mechanisms to recall underperforming legislators. Even at the federal level, recall processes are complicated and rarely succeed.

2. Political Godfatherism
   Lawmakers often owe their seats more to political sponsorship than to public merit, making them accountable to individuals, not the masses.

3. Lack of Civic Engagement
   Many citizens do not actively monitor legislative work. Without public pressure, comfort culture thrives.

4. Closed-Door Decision Making
   A lack of transparency means the public rarely sees who is absent, how members vote, or which committees are underperforming.

For Nigeria’s legislatures to transform from resting lounges into productive workspaces, three shifts are essential:

1. Active Civic Oversight

Citizens must demand performance data—attendance records, bill sponsorships, oversight reports—and use them during elections.

2. Transparent Legislative Processes

All sessions should be publicly broadcast, attendance tracked and published, and voting records made accessible.

3. Performance-Linked Rewards

Allowances, leadership positions, and reappointments to committees should be tied to measurable output, not political loyalty.

The Role of the Media

The media must spotlight legislative performance consistently, not just during political scandals. By publishing attendance records, bill passage statistics, and oversight activities, journalists can make it harder for legislators to hide in the comfort zone.

A House of Assembly or Senate should be a workshop for governance, not a lounge for politicians. When legislators choose comfort over duty, the cost is borne by millions who depend on effective laws, robust oversight, and budget discipline for their daily survival.

The Nigerian people must reject the normalization of comfort culture in their legislatures. Our Houses—whether at the state or national level—must once again become houses of work, accountability, and results. Only then will the comfort they offer be shared by all, not hoarded by a privileged few.