Unfortunately, many forward-thinking Nigerians who remain cynical about politics and politicians only think of Nigerian legislators as people who are often absent from the National Assembly proceedings, jumping fences, fighting and throwing chairs, sharing money and making wild promises to get votes, or getting involved in one scandalous behaviour or the other. Many Nigerians have never really thought seriously about the competencies required to be an effective legislator and using these competencies as the basis for selecting legislators and evaluating their performance. Well, in case you have not reflected on this before, here are five core competencies that every effective legislator should possess that are acceptable the world over and align with the three core responsibilities of Representation, Oversight and Legislation:
Character:Legislators as the promoters and defenders of the Constitution and the laws of Nigeria must seek to be beyond reproach. They must have very high standards of personal integrity and conduct themselves in a disciplined and ethical manner at all times. You cannot make a claim to make laws and protect the legitimate rights of citizens when you are neck deep in unethical or illegitimate behaviours. Your character must be reflected in your personal and family life; work and business and in your conduct as a politician.
Communication:Effective legislators must be good at listening and feeling the pulse of the people, receiving feedback from their constituents, analyzing and synthesizing the information they receive, negotiating, giving feedback to others, articulating their thoughts in writing, and communicating verbally with others. This is the only way they can actively engage their constituents, the media, the Executive and other stakeholders to achieve the results that the Nigerian people need.
Courage:To be effective. legislators need to have the courage to speak truth to power regardless of whose ox is gored. They must have a clear vision about what they want to achieve, the principles and values they stand for and have the courage to maintain the course, fight the good fight, and leave out the purpose of their lives as legislators. With such courage, Nigerian legislators will be able to stand tall against any forces that wish to deprive Nigerian citizens and their constituents their legitimate rights and break down the walls of red-tape and bureaucratic bottle-necks that often stifles the progress of the legitimate progress of the Nigerian people.
Commitment:Legislators need to have the political will, dogged commitment and relentless resilience to keep serving the Nigerian people. If they are fighting justly for the people in a country like Nigeria, they will be confronted with a lot of opposition from the many well-entrenched interests who are determined to subjugate the collective prosperity of Nigerians to their selfish personal gains. Effective legislators must be prepared to make sacrifices above and beyond the call of duty to achieve their goals for their constituents and the Nigerian people.
Connection:Being a legislator requires a high level on interpersonal skills. They need to be able to connect with others, focus intentionally with others and empathize with the people they serve. Without this level of empathy and connection, legislators will be emotionally detached from their people and will be unable to effectively represent their issues and needs.
Without a proper understanding of the responsibilities and competencies of legislators, most Nigerian voters will prefer to just stay away from legislative elections altogether or end up selecting sub-optimal candidates. Now that you are well informed and educated, please ensure that you make the right choices during the next elections for your State Assembly and the National Assembly. You can no longer live in the bliss of ignorance. #Let’sGetInvolved.
