To call the 10th Nigerian Senate a “rubber stamp” is to pay it a compliment it hasn’t earned. A rubber stamp, by definition, has a function. It is a tool of predictable utility, leaving a clean, legible imprint of executive will before being placed back in its tray.
What we have under the grandmaster of political theater, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, is something far more tragic and infinitely more expensive. It is not an instrument of governance; it is an appendix, vestigial, useless, and prone to causing national inflammation. If the executive branch decided to auction off the third tier of government tomorrow, this Senate would happily pass the appropriation bill to buy the auctioneer’s gavel.
The Comedian-in-Chief and His Traveling Circus
At the center of this legislative circus is Akpabio himself, a man who consistently confuses the hollowed chambers of democracy with a stand-up comedy club. But there is a distinct, painful difference between a comedian and a clown. A comedian delivers sharp truths wrapped in wit; a clown relies on painted-on expressions and slapstick routines while the tent burns down around them.
Who can forget the infamous “let the poor breathe” episode? It was delivered with the smirk of a man completely insulated from the crushing reality of the economic policies his chamber rubber-stamps with dizzying speed. It wasn’t humor; it was a Freudian slip of elite disdain. Then came the classic “prayers have been sent to your mailboxes” gaffe, a casual disclosure of legislative “tokens” disguised as spiritual intervention, blurted out on live television because the distinction between public accountability and private settlement has completely eroded.
An Appendix to Executive Recklessness
The constitutional mandate of the legislature is simple: check, balance, and oversight. Instead, the 10th Senate has reimagined itself as the executive’s cheerleading squad.
- The Midnight Approvals: Sweeping loans, supplementary budgets, and monumental economic shifts are passed with the urgency of a getaway driver. The level of debate matches that of a sleepy town council approving a new park bench, except here, we are talking about trillions in public debt.
- The Screening Charades: Ministerial screenings have been reduced to an elite game of “bow and go.” It doesn’t matter if a nominee has a resume of questionable integrity or a track record of abysmal public service; as long as they belong to the right club, the Senate functions as a glorified VIP bouncer, ushering them into power with a wink and a nod.
The Cost of the Show
This performance isn’t free. The sheer financial burden of maintaining this assembly—with their fleet of brand-new SUVs and multi-billion naira renovations—stands in insulting contrast to the poverty index of the citizens they theoretically represent. It is fraud wrapped in the flag, a system where the legislative process is treated as a personal enrichment scheme while the country suffers under the weight of historic inflation and structural decay.
When a Senate abdicates its role as a watchdog to become the executive’s lapdog, it ceases to be a pillar of democracy. The 10th Senate isn’t just failing to hold the executive accountable; it is actively underwriting national recklessness, one theatrical joke at a time.
Centre for Nigeria Progress 