LEGISLATION, NOT STAGE PERFORMANCE: WHY NIGERIA MUST STOP CELEBRATING LAWMAKERS FOR DISTRIBUTING RICE INSTEAD OF MAKING LAWS

 

For far too long, Nigerians have misunderstood the true role of lawmakers, and that misunderstanding has done grave damage to our democracy, governance system, and national development. Among the three arms of government, perhaps none has been more abused, misunderstood, and reduced to mere political entertainment than the Legislative Arm.

At the return of democracy in 1999, many believed this confusion was understandable. Nigeria had just emerged from years of military dictatorship where legislative institutions were weak or completely absent. Citizens were unfamiliar with parliamentary culture, legislative responsibilities, and democratic accountability. But after over 27 uninterrupted years of democracy, that excuse no longer holds water.

What we are witnessing today is no longer ignorance caused by military interruption. It is now a dangerous culture of collective political illiteracy deliberately sustained by politicians who benefit from it.

Across Nigeria today, lawmakers are assessed not by the quality of laws they sponsor, not by their attendance at parliamentary sittings, not by the strength of their oversight functions, and not by how effectively they defend the interests of their constituents in national debates. Instead, they are celebrated for distributing motorcycles, sewing machines, wheelbarrows, rice, goats, hair dryers, wrappers, generators, and cash handouts.

This is a complete distortion of legislative responsibility.

A legislator is not elected primarily to function as a contractor, philanthropist, or local government chairman. The constitutional responsibilities of a legislator are clear:

• Lawmaking
• Oversight
• Representation and advocacy

Everything else is secondary.

The tragedy is that many lawmakers have abandoned these constitutional duties entirely because they discovered that the electorate rarely demands accountability in those areas. Instead of asking:

• “How many bills have you sponsored?”
• “How many motions did you raise?”
• “How often did you attend plenary?”
• “What corruption did your oversight expose?”
• “What national debate did you contribute to?”
• “What sector reforms did you champion?”

The average voter asks:

• “How many bags of rice did he share?”
• “How many tricycles did she distribute?”
• “How many schools did he renovate?”
• “How much cash was shared during Ramadan or Christmas?”

And because of this misplaced expectation, many lawmakers spend four years sleeping through parliamentary sessions while using constituency projects and empowerment schemes as camouflage for legislative failure.

The painful truth is this:

A legislator who spends billions distributing empowerment items but contributes nothing meaningful to legislation has failed in the primary reason he or she was elected.

In assessing legislative performance, the priorities should be very clear:

• 35% — Legislative impact
• 30% — Oversight effectiveness
• 20% — Representation and advocacy
• 10% — Infrastructure facilitation
• 5% — Empowerment programmes

Once a lawmaker’s biggest achievements become empowerment and infrastructure alone, that lawmaker has already failed constitutionally. Such individuals would be better suited for executive offices like Local Government Chairman or Governor where project execution is the core responsibility.

The National Assembly is not designed to be a marketplace for periodic empowerment festivals. It is meant to be the engine room of national reforms.

A single impactful law can save Nigeria hundreds of billions of naira, strengthen institutions, reduce corruption, improve security, create jobs, reform education, stabilize the economy, and improve the lives of millions more effectively than thousands of motorcycles distributed for political optics.

The legislature remains the most powerful institution in any functioning democracy because lawmakers possess the authority to shape the legal foundation of society itself.

Through effective legislation and oversight, lawmakers can:

• reduce corruption,
• compel accountability,
• improve efficiency in public institutions,
• expose financial leakages,
• reform broken sectors,
• protect citizens’ rights,
• and strengthen governance structures nationwide.

Yet many lawmakers avoid these difficult responsibilities because sharing palliatives is politically easier than engaging in serious parliamentary work.

This is why some legislators remain in office for decades without leaving behind any significant legislative legacy. They survive politically not because of intellectual contribution or national impact, but because they mastered the politics of stomach infrastructure.

The dangerous consequence is that citizens continue to suffer from poor governance while repeatedly re-electing individuals who contribute almost nothing to solving systemic national problems.

A serious legislator should regularly present to constituents:

• records of plenary attendance,
• bills sponsored,
• committee reports,
• oversight findings,
• policy interventions,
• motions raised,
• national debates participated in,
• and reforms influenced.

A responsible lawmaker should maintain functional constituency offices where citizens can directly engage government through representation, policy advocacy, and legislative initiatives—not merely offices opened during elections.

Unfortunately, many Nigerians now celebrate lawmakers who publicly display large sums of money for distribution while remaining permanently absent from legislative responsibilities.

That culture must end if Nigeria truly desires progress.

However, amid the widespread decline in legislative seriousness, a few lawmakers in the House of Representatives have begun redefining what genuine representation should look like. These are lawmakers attempting to balance empowerment with meaningful legislative engagement, constituency advocacy, and policy-driven representation.

Among such emerging examples is Chief Dr. Billy Famous Adesuwa Osawaru, member representing in the House of Representatives.

Unlike many who reduce representation to mere distribution politics, Chief Dr. Billy Osawaru has increasingly distinguished himself through active engagement with the people, visible representation, accessibility, and growing commitment to purposeful legislative service. His approach reflects the understanding that while empowerment may provide temporary relief, sustainable progress comes through effective representation, advocacy, institutional reforms, and impactful legislative contributions.

Nigeria desperately needs more lawmakers who understand that the true power of parliament lies not in ceremonial distributions but in the ability to influence policies, strengthen institutions, and shape the future of society through courageous legislation and effective oversight.

Until Nigerians begin to evaluate lawmakers based on competence, legislative productivity, oversight effectiveness, and national impact rather than seasonal handouts, the country will continue recycling political mediocrity under the false illusion of representation.

Democracy cannot thrive when citizens celebrate lawmakers for abandoning the very constitutional duties they were elected to perform.

The future of Nigeria depends not just on electing leaders, but on finally understanding what leadership truly means.

Comrade  Michael  Abu is a social activist, theologian, policy political/political analyst, and a blogger from Edo State.