The Nigerian government has been urged to terminate the upper chamber of the legislative arm, the Senate, to save money for proper funding of the police.
The call is gaining momentum on Twitter where many Nigerians have supported the scrapping of the Senate.
A Nigerian entrepreneur and software developer, Mark Essien, had tweeted that the Senate was not necessary, as the House of Representatives could perform all the legislative functions.
Essien’s tweet was in the context of ongoing agitation and street protest across the country for police reform.
Nigerians have been protesting against the brutality and extortion by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad. This notorious police unit has been accused of extrajudicial killings and violation of human rights.
As #EndSARS trended online, the police authority disbanded SARS and announced a new formation called SWAT as a replacement.
But the move by the move did not persuade the protesters to stay off the streets as they argued that what the police did was just a mere change of name without taking the necessary steps to end police brutality.
Many Nigerians are now calling for adequate funding of the police.
“I don’t think Nigeria needs senators or the senate,” Mark Essien @markessien tweeted. “The House of Representatives is perfectly fine. The money for the Senate can be used to fund a proper police force.”
In response, Sadiq Farouk @sadiqlagos wrote, “I don’t think we need federal police. State and mainly local will be fine.”
Responding to the high cost of maintaining the Senate, Opeyemi Awotunde tweeted, “My thoughts too exactly. Slash their stupid allowances by 90%. Use it to fund better police and soldiers and see if there’s going to be an insurgent. And if they can’t stand it, let them resign.”
Another Twitter concurred. “What we need is to restructure Nigeria and put an end to federal policing. Police should be local to region or states, whichever we choose. Federal or centralised policing results in corruption and insecurity. Anything aside this will be a waste of time,” Nedu @okosivals wrote.
Obong Itata Itata, Esq. @ObongItata tweeted, “I’ve advocated this for a while. The Senate has turned into a retirement home for former governors who rig themselves in after two terms. They’re redundant in the sense that the House of Reps, closer to the people, can handle their responsibilities.”
James Godson @Uzoramaka called for the elimination of the legislature when he responded that, “I would go as far as scrapping the entire NASS, they have now become an expensive anomaly. This presidential style of choice government was a colossal error I dare say. Nigeria is too low a nation to sustain it.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
