National Assembly Should Be Part-time – Babangida

According to former Head of State, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), Nigeria’s National Assembly should be part-time.

Babangida said further that making the Assembly part-time would be a great way to cut down the cost of governance.

The former military ruler made the comments on Tuesday, August 16, 2016, while speaking to journalists in Minna, Niger State in preparation for his 75th birthday on August 17.

“… In 1989, we proposed that the national assembly should be optional, that is part-time. I still believe that if I had the opportunity, I would make the national assembly part-time. I believe in that very strongly and is part of efforts to cut down the cost of governance in Nigeria,” he said according to The Cable.

“During my public life, there were several decisions we took as military officers or as political officers — when I was a dictator — that if given another chance, I would do differently.

“I am not the evil genius that quite a lot of people consider me that I am. I have had a very excellent background and training. We have to love one another. However, I can understand the feeling people have towards me.

“By the virtue of the job I was doing, I was bound to be misconstrued and my actions misinterpreted as evil. I consider what people say as an opinion as long as I am not what you think I was; I feel satisfied‎,” he added.

Babangida is most remembered for annulling the June 12, 1993 presidential election — popularly adjudged, till date, as Nigeria’s freest and fairest election ever.