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THE IMPARTIAL OBSERVER
HANK ESO
Sunday
13 May 2012
The excuse that a minister has an engagement with the
President is vacuous and will always be.
Perhaps, ministers need to hear that directly for the SGF
or
from the president himself.
Nigerian
public officials like to hide under the cover of our nascent democracy, when
they err. Conveniently, their excuse is always the same:
We are learning the ways of democracy.
But one must ask, for how long?
For the umpteenth time,
the Nigerian media has been awash with senior public officials in appointed
positions, dodging summons from the National Assembly, with little or no
consequence. The polite ones wait
until several hours to the time they are due to appear, and then send a letter
of apology for their inevitable absence.
The late arrival of the letter is supposed to convey an emergency and
unforeseen development.
Unfortunately, the
legislative arm has been complicit by tolerating this development and not
reining in the erring officials or imposing stiff sanctions.
This, surely, is not the way to learn or underpin our democracy.
Rather, we erode its foundation.
The Executive arm has
been equally complicit. Summonses
are summonses. Subpoenas are
orders. And yes, when serving
ministers gets one of those, they must respond with all alacrity.
It is in the nature of their job to do so; to be at the beck and call of
the elected officials and they must, as those who are paid with taxpayers’ money
or at least, oil money from the commonweal comply.
The Secretary to the
Government of the Federation (SGF) must wield the cudgel on behalf of the
president and remind all appointed federal officials, that they strain the
relations between the two arms of government and do great disservice to the
president and our democracy, when they become near scofflaws, by ignoring
legislative summonses.
One
understands that at times, some and the frequency of the summonses border on
frivolity. But it is what it is!
Summonses from the legislature are part of the due process and an imperative and
integral component of any democracy. Those who detest what they see as
distractions and legislative comeuppance may have justifiable grouses.
I have previously addressed such concerns (see,
Nigeria’s March Madness and Governance by Summons).
Still, it behooves anyone worth his or her office as a minister, to understand
that as public servants, they must answer when called and that they are on duty,
24/7. Otherwise, they should return
from whence they came.
Moreover, it is utter
indiscipline to not respond to a legislative or judicial summons. This is not
the stuff of egos, be they large or brittle.
When a minister fails to show up after being summoned, there is only one
explanation: contempt! Yes,
contempt for his or her office; for the summoning authority; for the president
who appointed them and above all, for the Constitution and the people of
Nigeria. Such action also
undermines the checks and balances that ground any functional and purposeful
democracy.
Nigerian public
officials should endeavor to borrow a leaf from the renowned and iconic Nelson
Mandela, who despite his revered public status, appeared before commissions,
courts and the legislative branch to testify or respond to issues he was privy
to, even as a serving president.
In case they do not
sense it, the Nigeria ministers should understand that it smacks of cover-up and
having something to hide; or perhaps, of the fear of self-incrimination, when
public functionaries engage in artful dodging of public hearings as was the case
recently, with some ministers and also some heads of parastatals and
quasi-government institutions.
Those who have nothing to hide would naturally have no urge to dodge.
Let it be said clearly;
enough is enough! Yes Minister, you
were summoned. It would not do to appear
before legislative oversight bodies when canvassing for confirmation of
appointment, institutional funding and passage of pertinent institutional
support bills; only to refuse to appear before the same body to account for your
stewardship or how resources within your purview were spent or being spent.
And yes, Honorable
Minister, you have a responsibility to show up, rain or shine.
Please do the honorable thing. The excuse that a minister has an
engagement with the President is vacuous and will always be.
Perhaps, ministers need to hear that directly for the SGF or from the
president himself.
Yes, Minister, you were
summoned. Period!
With neither anger
nor partiality, until next time, keep the law, stay impartial, and observe
closely. --------
Hank Eso
is a columnist for
Kwenu.com.
His observations on Nigerian, African and global politics and related issues,
has appeared in various print media, journals and internet-based sites.
© Hank Eso, 13 May
2012.
Email:
hankeso@aol.com
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