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abujagirl
Guest
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, and a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Odein Ajumogobia (SAN), on Wednesday called for parliamentary system of government for Nigeria.
They spoke at the St. John’s Forum Inaugural Public Service Debate in Lagos.
Soyinka said that although parliamentary system has its own loopholes, the presidential system is very costly to run.
"Any place that is populated by an elected crowd needs to be reinforced by structures that guarantee the representative voice of the people. Call it presidential, parliamentary; it remains the generative source of socio-political ideas and the powerhouse of social projects.
"I wish to assert, therefore, with all sincerity that any system is only as good as the quality of commitment of the humanity that runs it. It’s a consequence of watching the beneficiaries of the system operate with little or no oversight, providing a cloak of legislative normality to questionable appropriations of its own membership interests".
Ajumogobia, while supporting the argument, said Nigeria had experienced both systems of government, adding that the characteristics of parliamentary system gave a better chance for success.
He said that those characteristics were accountability, stability and efficiency. According to him, they are better exhibited in the parliamentary system than in the presidential system.
He argued that statistically countries with the parliamentary system of government were more economically stable than those operating the presidential system.
He cited the issue of Constituency allowance as an example of mismanagement of public funds and ideas by the legislature.
They spoke at the St. John’s Forum Inaugural Public Service Debate in Lagos.
Soyinka said that although parliamentary system has its own loopholes, the presidential system is very costly to run.
"Any place that is populated by an elected crowd needs to be reinforced by structures that guarantee the representative voice of the people. Call it presidential, parliamentary; it remains the generative source of socio-political ideas and the powerhouse of social projects.
"I wish to assert, therefore, with all sincerity that any system is only as good as the quality of commitment of the humanity that runs it. It’s a consequence of watching the beneficiaries of the system operate with little or no oversight, providing a cloak of legislative normality to questionable appropriations of its own membership interests".
Ajumogobia, while supporting the argument, said Nigeria had experienced both systems of government, adding that the characteristics of parliamentary system gave a better chance for success.
He said that those characteristics were accountability, stability and efficiency. According to him, they are better exhibited in the parliamentary system than in the presidential system.
He argued that statistically countries with the parliamentary system of government were more economically stable than those operating the presidential system.
He cited the issue of Constituency allowance as an example of mismanagement of public funds and ideas by the legislature.
