Former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, has said most states of the Federation see their Houses of Assembly as a department in Government House.

To correct that impression, Nnamani has canvassed strong and truly independent legislature that would promote and bring about democratic dividends to the citizenry.

Nnamani said this at the 2017 Conference of the Commonwealth Parliament Association (CPA), Africa region in Abuja, yesterday.

The theme of the conference was: “State and Local Government Relation on Public Finance and Governance.”

The former Senate president opined that many state assemblies have become appendages of the state government houses, thus, abdicating their responsibility as makers of laws that should bring succour and development to the people.

“We are not matured enough to give the people the real democratic practise. If you look at our Constitution, those who did it have done a great work; it may not be perfect but, it will get better some day.

“Democracy is based on the principles of local control which is what we call town hall democracy.

“ In our country, there are few states that have strength. Most states see their houses of assembly as a department in their government houses.  In other words, the growth of democracy will be more emphasised if we have strong Houses of Assembly, to debate issues that will better the lives of Nigerians,” he said.

Nnamani noted that many states where the governors had become reckless and drunk with power, was traceable to the absence of a strong and truly independent houses of assembly to checkmate these excesses.

He said absence of machinery for proper checks and balances, between the legislature and the executive, usually results in power-drunk syndrome, and added that “this must be corrected.”

The former lawmaker also called for critical appraisal of the quality of state legislators who can guarantee quality governance with accountability and transparency trappings in governance.

On her part, Acting Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mrs Habiba Lawal, called for re-orientation of legislators’ priority, whose loyalty should be to the people, rather than the governor.

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Lawal, who was represented by Mr Gabriel Aduda, a permanent secretary, in the SGF’s ffice, said negligence on the part of governments was responsible for the plethora of social vices in the country.

“Governments in the state, who are misbehaving, are also having free -day because parliamentarians are not doing their jobs.

“More Nigerians live in the rural communities than in the cities and separating the finances of the state from local government will make the parliamentarians work more efficiently.

“We have mortgaged our rights to the state governments, the result of insurgency, baby factories, gang-raping, and the rest, are as a result of misplacement of our priority.

“There is a lot we can achieve for this nation if loyalty is shifted to the people. Your work to the people is more important to that of the state governor because, you are the eyes of the people,” she said.

Also, CPA President, Dr Acho Ihim, called for synergy between the state and the local government, to allow for meaningful development.

Ihim, represented by Imo State Commissioner for Health, Mr Edward Ihejirika,  said there would be a lot of development in many regions of the country if local governments were granted autonomy.

“I see state responsibility in the area of development.

“What this means is that there should be synergy between the state and local governments. The autonomy will only make it convenient for the efforts of local governments to be visible leading to meaningful development.

“These developments will then cut across state of the Federation.”

In his contribution, Chairman, Senior Secondary Schools Board, River State, Mr David Briggs, called on parliamentarians in every state to begin to speak out against bad governance at all levels.

Briggs said when the parliamentarians neglect their functions, “the consequences are always grave and devastating both for the people and the country.”