Salute To Courage

THE Senate paraded uncommon courage on Tuesday with its dramatic rejection of the bill to amend sections of the 1999 Constitution. There was little doubt that the rejection was over the surreptitious plans to extend the tenure of elected public office holders.
Debates on the matter had polarised the country, the National Assembly, that for once in its seven years, displayed traces of expected maturity, commitment and dedication required in a matter of such magnitude by placing it squarely in public domain.
Much of the credit for this goes to Senate President Kenneth Nnamani for providing leadership. He consistently promised to handle the debates in a transparent and fair manner and he delivered on his promises. It should be noted that he could have compromised by shielding the proceedings from the media, especially live television which allowed Nigerians to follow the debates.The pressure on Chief Nnamani included insinuations that the security agencies were about to probe his tenure. His speech on the decisive day asking his colleagues not be succumb to fear, underlined the fact that he was not afraid.Some of the lessons to be learnt from the vote in the Senate are that money is not everything and that people, if they have convictions about an issue, can live by their convictions. Those who preach that every Nigerian has a price must have seen that in a country that is gradually, but steadily turning into a cesspool of corruptive tendencies, some people, who are not necessarily rich, can turn down offers of millions of Naira.
Tuesday’s outcome and the entire proceedings on the proposed amendments, should be milestones in the annals of Nigerian democracy. We have moved from brutal force - in deciding vital matters - to urbane debates that broadened the frontiers of democratic engagement.
Having come this far, it would be imperative that the chambers of the National Assembly are made more accessible to the public through the media (including live television) when matters of grave import are on the agenda. We should also condemn the intimidation that the security agencies visited on legislators who were opposed to the tenure elongation.
Democracy demands vigilance and sacrifices from all. The media played a vital role in the movement to stop the bill, just as many individuals and constituents that opposed it spoke up. There are more future issues that would demand repeat performances.
However, the House of Representatives is moving in another direction by continuing with other aspects of the bill. Those aspects could pass through the Senate too without the suspicious tenure elongation spewed.
Now that one democratic obstacle has been cleared, structures to strengthen our democracy should get immediate attention: they include amendment of the Electoral Act and the passage of the Freedom of Information bill.
We expect that the National Assembly would tackle these and other matters with the new found transparency and courage that Nigerians are still celebrating.