If I have the opportunity, I will make NASS part time- IBB
Wed Aug 17, 2016 07:21:am Politics
3K By Buchi Obichie
While addressing newsmen at an event to mark his 75th birthday" in Minna on Tuesday, former military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, called for a part-time legislature in order to cut the cost of governance in the country.
Babangida said although a proposal by his regime to make the National Assembly part time in 1989 never came to fruition, he still strongly believed in it.
He said, "In 1989, we proposed that the National Assembly should be made part time and I still believe if I have the opportunity, I will make it part time.
"I strongly believe in it and it is all in the effort to reduce the high cost of governance and I know I may be in trouble for suggesting part time legislature."
The former military leader was also asked about how he felt, hearing rumors of his death in the media.
Babangida said that he was not surprised, as it was not new.
"The first thing that came to my mind" was that it is not new; they did it to Nnamdi Azikiwe, they did it to Shehu Shagari and other elder statesmen, so it's not a surprise. "As a Muslim, whether I like it or not I must die someday and so they are just stating the obvious but nobody knows the time or place that it will happen," he added.
Babangida also stated that he was not the evil most people thought he had been, explaining that by virtue of his profession, he was bound to be misconstrued.
"I am not the evil quite a lot of you think that I am and I can understand that by virtue of the job I was doing, I was bound to be misunderstood.
"But I consider it all as an opinion and it is one of those things you have to live with but as long as I am not what you thought I was, I feel very much satisfied"," he said.
Babangida said although a proposal by his regime to make the National Assembly part time in 1989 never came to fruition, he still strongly believed in it.
He said, "In 1989, we proposed that the National Assembly should be made part time and I still believe if I have the opportunity, I will make it part time.
"I strongly believe in it and it is all in the effort to reduce the high cost of governance and I know I may be in trouble for suggesting part time legislature."
The former military leader was also asked about how he felt, hearing rumors of his death in the media.
Babangida said that he was not surprised, as it was not new.
"The first thing that came to my mind" was that it is not new; they did it to Nnamdi Azikiwe, they did it to Shehu Shagari and other elder statesmen, so it's not a surprise. "As a Muslim, whether I like it or not I must die someday and so they are just stating the obvious but nobody knows the time or place that it will happen," he added.
Babangida also stated that he was not the evil most people thought he had been, explaining that by virtue of his profession, he was bound to be misconstrued.
"I am not the evil quite a lot of you think that I am and I can understand that by virtue of the job I was doing, I was bound to be misunderstood.
"But I consider it all as an opinion and it is one of those things you have to live with but as long as I am not what you thought I was, I feel very much satisfied"," he said.
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