Nigerian activist and co-convener of #BringBackOurGirls, Aisha Yesufu, has rebuked the National Assembly for failing to live up to expectations, saying Nigerians no longer feel safe, and the legislature has become complicit in the nation’s escalating insecurity crisis.
Yesufu, who expressed this view in an open letter released on Monday, noted that the parliament, which she described as the “Bedrock of democracy,” had neglected its responsibility to hold the executive accountable despite widespread killings, kidnappings, and violent attacks across the country.
The female vocal voice, the legislature was established to defend citizens and strengthen democratic governance, but alleged that lawmakers had instead abandoned their role.
Yesufu lamented the growing insecurity nationwide, noting that Nigerians were living in fear while their representatives remained silent.
She wrote, ”The legislative arm is supposed to be the activist in government. The voice for the voiceless.”
“Today, the Nigerian people are being hunted like animals, abducted or killed in their places of worship, schools, on the roads, farms, markets and even in their homes where they ought to be safest.
“Nowhere is safe in Nigeria, and no one is safe in Nigeria.”
In her letter, she accused the lawmakers of defending the executive instead of asking critical questions, insisting their inaction had worsened the situation.
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She said, “With all of these happening, the National Assembly members have not deemed it fit to raise their collective voices for the people that sent them to the National Assembly.
“Instead, they have raised their voices in defending the executive they should be holding accountable.”
Yesufu also criticised the legislators for neglecting urgent national issues and focusing on matters she considered trivial.
“Instead, it has been preoccupied with fancy dinners and majoring in the minor, thereby making a mockery of the pain of the citizens,” she added.
She described the Assembly’s performance as a collective failure, saying members must take responsibility for the state of the nation.
“Every member of the National Assembly should bow his or her head in shame, for you all have collectively failed the people of Nigeria,” she said.
Yesufu outlined several steps she said lawmakers must take immediately, including convening an emergency session on insecurity, investigating the failures of security agencies, holding the executive accountable, and summoning President Bola Tinubu to explain the measures his administration is taking to protect citizens.
Despite her criticisms, the activist said Nigerians would continue to push for accountability and better governance.
She maintained that citizens would not back down from demanding their rights.
“We will not be silenced or intimidated. We will continue to demand accountability and good governance,” she said in the letter.
