“m”Members of the National Assembly do not report to work every day like regular civil servants, as their official duties are largely limited to plenary sittings and committee engagements. Senator Ali Ndume maintained that adopting a part-time legislature would help reduce the cost of governance”
Senator Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South Senatorial District, has called for the Senate to operate on a part-time basis, arguing that lawmakers should only be paid when they attend plenary sessions or committee meetings.
Ndume made the proposal on Friday during an interview on Trust TV.
According to the lawmaker, members of the National Assembly do not report to work every day like regular civil servants, as their official duties are largely limited to plenary sittings and committee engagements.
He maintained that adopting a part-time legislature would help reduce the cost of governance and ensure lawmakers are paid based on their legislative activities.
He said, “To me, I said it, what are we doing? We have been on recess for several times. Let us be paid by sitting. If you sit, you get paid. If you are not sitting, you are not paid.
“And to me, we can even make the National Assembly to work part time. On Wednesday, we all assembled for an emergency meeting for this year; important national issues, that is the state policing even though I have reservations as to the speed and the way they are doing it.
“Senate is a committee of elders. You just don’t come one day, sit down because the President wants state police, you just pass it overnight.
“You are supposed to sit down, deliberate on it and get the input. We have passed the bill. Has the state police taken off today?”
