Senators should serve part-time, earn no monthly salaries — Ndume

Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South Senatorial District, has called for a major reform of Nigeria’s legislative system, proposing that members of the National Assembly should serve on a part-time basis instead of as full-time lawmakers.

Ndume also advocated scrapping fixed monthly salaries for federal legislators, suggesting they should only be paid for attending plenary sessions and committee meetings.

The senator made the remarks on Friday during an interview on Trust TV, where he raised concerns about the current structure of the National Assembly and the cost of governance.

According to him, lawmakers do not operate like regular civil servants who report to work every day, noting that most legislative activities are centred on plenary sittings and committee assignments.

“To me, I have said it before. What are we doing? We have been on recess several times. Let us be paid by sitting. If you sit, you get paid. If you are not sitting, you are not paid,” Ndume said.

“And to me, we can even make the National Assembly work part-time. On Wednesday, we all assembled for an emergency meeting on an important national issue, which is state policing, even though I have reservations about the speed and the way they are handling it.”

Ndume also expressed concerns over the handling of discussions on state police, warning against rushing legislative decisions on sensitive national issues.

He argued that major constitutional reforms such as state policing require broader consultations, thorough deliberations and contributions from relevant stakeholders before any final decision is taken.

The senator maintained that the National Assembly should not fast-track critical legislation simply because of pressure from the executive arm of government.

“The Senate is a committee of elders. You don’t just come one day, sit down because the President wants state police, and pass it overnight,” he said.

“You are supposed to sit down, deliberate on it and get the necessary input. We have passed the bill. Has state police taken off today?”

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