The lawmaker representing Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Benedict Etanabene, has criticised what he described as a growing tendency among politicians to prioritise loyalty to President Bola Tinubu over service to citizens. Etanabene, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, made the remarks during an interview on Arise Television on Saturday.
His comments followed the accelerated passage of the State Police Bill. Etanabene said many of his colleagues appear more concerned with earning praise from leadership than with the substance of legislation. “Many politicians are more focused on impressing President Tinubu than serving citizens. They want to be praised by their leaders,” he said. “When people gather, they want to be able to say, look at what I did to that person. Whether what they did was right or wrong is not their concern. What matters is getting the approval and praise of their leaders.”
Etanabene noted that even opposition members might have supported the executive version of the bill, but the process denied proper scrutiny. He recalled that an earlier version of the legislation had been passed months prior, only for the House to recede from that position on a Wednesday. A new executive bill was introduced the same day, and lawmakers were told it needed to pass by Thursday.
“Some of us didn’t sleep that night because we went clause by clause looking at it and trying to rush it, but that’s not how it is supposed to be,” Etanabene said. “We’re just trying to see how we can meet up with the pattern.”
The lawmaker emphasised that the opposition had the document and sought a clause-by-clause debate, a standard legislative practice that was bypassed. The episode, he argued, reflects a broader pattern where legislative independence is compromised in favour of executive alignment.
The State Police Bill is part of ongoing constitutional reform efforts aimed at decentralising policing in Nigeria. Critics have long argued that the current centralised structure hampers effective security response at the local level. However, the speed of the latest legislative action has raised concerns about due process and the depth of debate on a matter of national significance.
Etanabene’s intervention highlights tensions within the National Assembly between party loyalty and institutional responsibility. As the bill progresses, stakeholders will be watching whether further amendments reflect broader consensus or continue to bear the imprint of expedited executive influence.
