Why some Senators, Reps avoid their constituencies

By Tunde Adetunji, Abuja.
The screening of Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) has offered a rare insight into why many federal lawmakers shy away from visiting their constituencies. One of them says they are so innundated by demands they keep away until they “get alerts in their pockets.”
Senator Abdullahi Gumel (Jigawa North West) was disagreeing with a REC nominee that they do not visit their constituencies often.
“80 to 85 percent of the lawmakers go to their constituencies but unfortunately the demands of people are too much because of the absence of the Local government. The jobs of  the Local government have been taken over.Some time they (lawmakers)  have to shy away until they have alert in their pockets,” he said.
Six nominees were screened Wednesday; but one of them, Adamawa State nominee, Mr. Ibrahim Abdullahi, advised lawmakers to be transparent and stay in touch with constituents as a panacea for the negative image that is the lot of lawmakers.
Senator Ali Wakili (Bauchi South) had sought to know how the National Assembly can deal with the wrong perception of it by the public.
Abdulahi replied, “Some National Assembly members are not really visiting their constituencies the way it should be. The activities of the members should be more open.”
 
Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, formally presented the nominees to Senators and urged them to speed up their screening to forestall a constitutional crisis.
“The states have been vacant for a long time, if this is not addressed urgently, we may have a constitutional crises on our hands,” he said.