Senators of the Federal Republic

Last month, I got an invite to the presentation of Wale Okediran's new book, Tenants of the House. It was an occasion I looked forward to eagerly because Okediran, being a former member of the House of Representatives, must have an interesting story to tell in his new novel.

And so onward bound I was to the Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island. The hall was barely filled when I got there, and the author, Okediran, was discussing with a few acquaintances at the door. Eventually, the presentation began shortly after the arrival of Olusegun Mimiko, governor of Ondo State. The side attraction for me that day was an extract of the novel acted as a play, where the goings-on behind the scenes in the National Assembly were exposed. That's where I learnt that 'Fertiliser' was the senators' and honourables' word for bribe.

One character whose name and actions struck me was Senator Smallet, who was central to the sharing of fertilisers from the president. Trust Olorunibe Mamowora. He quickly took a defensive posture when he had the time to speak.

"Senator Smallet is not a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria." Likewise, he stood behind the Senate's position on the absence of the president, saying the Senate impeaching the president was not an option the House would consider because of the multi-ethnic nature of the country. "The last 66 days in the country is an eloquent essay of how not to run a country.

It is simply treason that Nigeria is being governed in a manner that is not in line with the Constitution. The hands of the Senate are tied. If we say we should consider section 143 of the Constitution, impeachment is not realistic considering the ethnic and religious issues in the country. Section 144 also states that it is not within the purview of the National Assembly but the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to swear in the Vice President as Acting President. In addition, Section 145 which is the least we can do, the most acceptable and realistic in conformity with the Constitution, is for the president to transmit to the Senate that he will be going on medical vacation."

I was glad when Odia Ofeimun, poet and literary critic, mounted the podium and poured out his heart. He argued that the narrator was as bad as the other characters in the play. He could not help but advise that Nigerians elect the right people into office before they can experience good governance: "What we currently have in Nigeria are not elections but civil wars. The civil war is not about the election but those who claimed to be voted for actually rigged the elections. Parties should not be funded by political godfathers but the money contributed by the people at the various wards. Party members should religiously pay tithes to their wards which they would use to fund elections."

But an experience I had at the Virgin Nigeria VIP Lounge, Abuja airport, further confirmed to me the kind of Senators we have at the National Assembly. About three senators were seated at the lounge waiting to board their flight to Kano, when a young lady walked up to them and asked that they proceed for boarding. "No, we can't go now. Let all those people go. We cannot wait on the queue," said one of them. "There is no queue," the lady assured.

"No, no, no, we won't go now," another one insisted. And so, they remained on their seats until another person came to call them.

Meanwhile, I could not understand why they found it difficult to go with the first person who came for them. What was really so wrong queuing to get on the plane when the boarding had been announced? Why could they not trust the judgement of the person who came to call them since she already knew they were VIPs and deserved to be so treated? Could it be a case of arrogance or a feeling that 'we are senators, hence we can't be on the queue with the crowd?' I could recall the stance of Festus Iyayi in his famous novel, Violence, where he looked at the Nigerian society, progressively moving towards the path of retrogression, degeneration, corruption and moral decadence. This is a clear manifestation of Nigeria as a class society with all the contradictions and problems inherent in such societies. Hence, one is confronted with power and its associated arrogance by the elite in a society that lacks the meaning of accountability, corruption, immorality and bribery.

The rottenness of our society which was part of the origins of the civil war is presented in more physical terms by the ugly sight I saw at the airport that day. Like the playlet, the quest for money is key for the so-called senators. They are so consumed by material possessions and nothing matters except their pocketful of 'fertilisers'.