By Nnabugwu Chizoba
A popular axiom stresses it that it is what we see that we get. Going by this simple but age long expressed axiom, one is inspired to note that in a Democratic Governance system which Nigeria adopted and is also practicing there is need to look into the Office of the Citizen to among other things seek to know what the office truly is and what we are seeing. Let us begin the process.
What do you consider the biggest office at the different levels or tiers of government in Nigeria? The question is what is the highest office at the Federal, State and Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Nigeria?
If your or anybody's answer is the same thing what is presented below, do you think "You" or "Whoever" that delivered the answer is right or wrong?
- Federal = office of the President
- State = office of the Governor
- LGAs = office of the Chairman
In line with that axiom “what you see is what you get” can you re-examine your answers carefully? When you are done with that, please take a trip with us as we journey into the "Office of the Citizen".
- The office of the citizen, does it exist?
- What is it?
- Is it a high or low office?
- Where is it (the Office the Citizen) located?
Issues to consider...
It is the Office of the citizen in Nigeria that hires the President, the Vice, the Governors of the 36 states of Nigeria and their Deputies and the 774 Local Government Council Chairmen and their deputies at the 774 Local Government Areas of Nigeria. This is at the Executive arm of government.
At the federal, state and local government Legislative arm, it is the Office of the citizen that hires the Federal: the Senators and members of the House of Representatives; at the state the House of Assembly members of the 36 states in Nigeria; and at the LGA level, the LGA House of Assembly Members (also known as the Councilors) of each of the 774 LGAs.
The list above reveals that the federal ministers, the state Commissioners and the local government supervisory councilors are not in the list. Indeed they are not mentioned. The reason is very simple. It is not the Office of the citizen that hires them directly, but it is the Office of the citizen that authorizes that they are hired by the President, Governors and LGA Chairmen respectively. At the federal level where the President operates, the Office of the citizen empowers the President to choose the Ministers; the Governors to choose the Commissioners; and the LGA Chairmen to choose the Supervisory Councilors that will assist them to deliver, first on the mandate that the Office of the Citizen through the Federal Constitution mandated them (the President, Governors and the LGA Chairmen) to perform, and secondly, to deliver on their respective self-imposed mandate arising from their individual promises during electioneering campaign.
There are other appointees that the Office of the Citizen empowers the Chief Executives at the different tiers of government to bring on board to also assist them in performing their duties, but for now we are silent about those offices.
The highest appointee among the helpers of the President that the Office of the Citizen empowers or authorizes is the Ministers. At the state level the highest by a Governor is the Commissioners, and at the Local Government level is the Supervisory Councilors by the LGA Chairmen. Please note that Supervisory Councilors are different from those that constitute Membership of the Local Government House of Assembly at the legislative organ of the 774 LGAs.
Interesting to note is the fact that the Office of the Citizen go through a lot to cater for the President, Governors and LGA Chairmen at the Executive arm and at the legislative arm the Senators, Members of the House of Representatives and Councilors of the legislative arm at the LGAs which the Office of the Citizen hires directly. In addition to this are the bills of the ones the Office of the Citizen empowers or authorizes the Executive to engage on its behalf (the ministers, commissioners and the supervisory councilors) and the rest, which for now we do not intend mentioning.
Please note that by hiring, we mean employing. Therefore, the message is this, it is the office of the citizen that employs the President, Governors and the LGA Chairmen and their deputies directly, and empowers these Executives to bring other people on board to assist them.
The Office of the Citizen in Nigeria is so magnanimous that it denies itself a lot to provide those it hired directly and those the executive were authorized to hire, to perform. It is the office of the citizen that pays their salaries and allowances, as a matter of fact handsomely, and still goes ahead to provide for logistics, in addition to feeding them and their families, visitors and what have you.
Since it is what we see that we get, from the issues raised above, or as a matter of fact brought forward for your consideration, what do you see or consider now as the biggest office at the different levels or tiers of governance in Nigeria?
The good governance series continues in subsequent publications on this Platform. Remember that you too can contribute.
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