Senator representing Borno South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume, has called for a major reform in Nigeria’s legislative system, proposing that members of the National Assembly should serve on a part-time basis rather than as full-time lawmakers.
Ndume said lawmakers should no longer earn fixed monthly salaries, arguing instead that they should only receive payments based on attendance at plenary sessions and committee meetings.
The senator made the remarks on Friday during an interview on Trust TV, where he raised concerns over the current structure of the National Assembly and the cost of governance in Nigeria.
According to him, lawmakers do not operate like regular civil servants who report to offices daily. He said most legislative activities revolve around plenary sittings and committee engagements, making the current full-time arrangement unnecessary.
Speaking during the interview, Ndume 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.”
The lawmaker also expressed concerns over the handling of discussions surrounding state police, warning against rushed legislative decisions on sensitive national matters.
Ndume argued that critical issues such as state policing require wider consultations, careful debate, and contributions from relevant stakeholders before any final decision is reached.
He said the Senate should not rush into passing major policies simply because of executive pressure, stressing that lawmakers must ensure proper scrutiny before approving such reforms.
According to him, “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?”
