Politics
RVHA: Expectations For Second Legislative Session
As the Rivers State House of Assembly resumes plenary for the second stanza of the seventh Assembly, there are high expectations of a better legislative arm determined to provide direction that will strengthen democratic institutions for good governance.
Unarguably, the legislature remains the nucleus of a democratic system, but worst hit by years of military dictatorship in Nigeria. Therefore, lessons learnt over the period should encapsulate the thinking, and modus operandi of the lawmakers to give their constituents effective representation.
Nigerian leaders in various capacities must stop looking for scape goats for their failure to grapple with the multifurious problems confronting the nation but stand up to face these challenges squarely. While the lack of commitment to proffering solution to the nagging issues of insecurity, unemployment, endemic corruption etc, has hampered development.
According to Ronald Reagan, during his inaugural address as the 40th president of the United States of America, “Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem.” He went further to justify the imputation and the intendment by saying “we suffer from long years of sustained self infliction in our national history. For decades we have piled deficit upon deficit mortgaging our future and that of our children’s future for the temporary convenience of the present”.
The scenario described by the president of the world strongest democracy aparently puts the Nigerian situation in proper perspective; and was corroborated by the number one diplomat in October 2011, when the UN Secretary-General, Banki-Moon said “our world is one of terrible contradictions, plenty of food but one billion people go hungry. Lavish lifestyles for a few but poverty for too many others.
Huge advances in medicine while mothers die every day in child birth… billions spent on weapons to kill people instead of keeping them safe”.
In fact, let me add, one of the highest producers of oil but that imports petroleum products, a state with water everywhere but, none good enough for drinking,that enacts many good laws but not enough for implementation, our security agencies are winning awards in peacekeeping outside the shores of Nigeria, but cannot check the activities of Boko Haram that has sent many innocent lives to untimely death.
This hapless situation portend a pathetic and phenomenal damage to the psyche of the nation and demands concerted efforts to redress under the current dispensation.
In this wise, lawmakers must rise up to the occasion, initiate laws that touch the lives of the generality of the people and carry out over-sight functions to revitalise the gloomy picture of a near failed state. The vicious circle of squandermania, avarice and voracious inclinations must be purged if the country can dream of becoming one of the best 20 economies of the world by 2020.
The Rivers State House of Assembly has been a shining example in the comity of state legislative Houses that has played pivotal roles in the enactment of justifiable laws that have direct impact on the masses, especially in matters that fall within the purview of the concurrent and residual legislative lists as stipulated by the 1999 constitution of Nigeria.
The statute book enshrines the principle of separation of powers between the legislature, executive and the judiciary with the provision for a system of checks and balances to ensure that no arm of government becomes authoritarian.
The mandate of the electorate remains the authority that the lawmakers possess to be in the legislative chamber and in the same token, the mandate could be withdrawn through the recall process if the representative is found wanting.
However, the task before the seventh State Assembly as they commence the second session of the four year term was captured by the speaker, Rt. Hon. Otelemaba Amachree, when he welcomed members from their one month recess having interacted adequately having with their constituents and now better equipped for robust debates at the floor of the Assembly.
Notwithstanding the number of bills passed at the first session, Rivers People expect a more proactive lawmakers ready to discharge their oversight functions particularly as it concerns the local government councils, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
To gain the confidence of the people, the legislators need to interface with their constituents and seek their views on issues before debating on the floor of the House especially on critical matters so as to truly speak the minds of the people they represent.
It has become a common practice that most lawmakers visit their traditional rulers, opinion leaders and attend public functions in the area only when elections are approaching. Many do not have constituency offices for constituents to access them. Worthy of notes is the apathy among those whose assignment maybe terminating at a given term as their antics are beginning to be too glaring for even the blind to see as they assume the famous “Sidon look” approach to issues no matter how important it may seem.
Undoubtedly, public hearings are veritable instrument in which members of the public contribute to the enactment of laws in a democratic setting, but such inputs would be lacking if the State House of Assembly re-enact the scenario of the first session of the 7th Assembly when public hearings were not given enough publicity and time for interested persons to articulate their views for presentation.
A typical example was the publication for a public hearing on Wednesday while the programme held on Thursday and by Monday, the bill was passed into law thereby giving the public little or no time to contribute to legislative process.
Another important aspect that the second session of the House should not overlook is the poor image of the Assembly in the press. The previous Assembly enjoyed fairly good publicity. Hardly do people watch the House proceedings on NTA Network News, despite Port Harcourt hosting a network Centre, AIT and Silverbird have equally not faired better.
While the State Media is effectively publicising the House activities, further step needs to be taken to ensure that one of the best Houses of Assembly in the country, in terms of structure, commitment to duty and unity of purpose does not take the back seat but continues to be recognised nationwide for its vibrancy of inputs to lawmaking.
The House Committee on Information must borrow a leaf from its counterparts at the National Assembly to brief newsmen regularly on issues. For instance, if the briefings done after the passage of the Public Office Holders’ Pension and Fringe benefits law took place in the course of the process, the public would have appreciated the essence of the law much better.
As the new legislative session begins, the Speaker of the House, is expected to be more firm in communicating policy direction about the arm of government which he pilots.
Credit should go to the House Leader perhaps, as someone who has sponsored the highest number of private member bills at the seventh Assembly and presenter of all executive bills. But Rivers People would wish to see less controversial bills and more of bills, that will better the lives of the ordinary people.
As leaders and politicians, the events of today represent testimonials for them. Therefore, they must endeavour to write their names in gold especially for those that nurse further political ambition.
The duo of Hon. Godstime Horsfall and Hon. Kelechi Nwogu should stamp their feet in redirecting proceedings of the House by calling the lawmakers to order when they exceed the issues in focus at the floor of the Assembly, while the House Whip (a.k.a) legislative “OzomoRock” can also ultilise his philosophical prowess to aggregate legislative business.
Tonye Harry as a foundation State Lawmaker of the present Democratic dispensation 1999 to date is hardly felt in the Assembly.
As the saying goes, to whom much is given, much is expected.
Governor Douye Diri has set a target of at least one million votes for President Bola Tinubu in Bayelsa State in the 2027 presidential election, while charging the newly inaugurated All Progressives Congress (APC) State Campaign Council to prioritise reconciliation, party unity and collective electoral mobilisation.
Governor Diri gave the charge at the inauguration of the 20-member campaign council at the APC secretariat in Yenagoa, where he warned that internal divisions could undermine the party’s efforts to secure victory for President Tinubu and other candidates at the federal and state levels.
Governor Diri urged party members who were not appointed to the council to support its activities by taking the APC’s message to communities, wards and polling units across the state.
He specifically charged the campaign team to mobilise at least one million votes for President Tinubu, arguing that Bayelsa’s voting strength had increased and should be reflected in the 2027 election results.
“I give you a target that in Bayelsa, we must not bring less than one million votes for Mr President. You are going to campaign, and you have a lot to talk about the President. He has done so much for our people,” the governor said.
He listed the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the second phase of the Nembe-Brass Road, interventions in the power sector, federal appointments for Bayelsa indigenes and the establishment of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy among the achievements the campaign should present to voters.
The governor particularly praised President Tinubu for the coastal highway project, arguing that it reflected federal attention to the development needs of coastal communities.
“No president, alive or dead, has remembered the coastal people and coastal states to say let us do this signature project from Lagos to Calabar. The first president to think about it is Bola Tinubu, and those were the demands of the Ijaw people,” he said.
Governor Diri also expressed hope that a second term for President Tinubu would provide an opportunity to advance demands for fiscal federalism, greater resource control and state policing, which he described as longstanding aspirations of the Niger Delta.
He said the President had shown indications of addressing some of the demands of younger Nigerians and argued that re-election would allow the administration to consolidate its reforms.
The governor further cautioned campaigners against personal attacks and abusive exchanges with political opponents, insisting that the APC should focus its campaign on issues, policies and achievements.
The governor’s mobilisation directive comes amid criticism from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has questioned his commitment to President Tinubu’s re-election campaign, alleging that APC campaign billboards erected across Yenagoa promote other party candidates without featuring the President.
The PDP, through its Publicity Secretary, Mr Ikaebimo Mark, said the billboards showed Governor Diri urging voters to support APC candidates for the National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections without identifying President Tinubu as the party’s presidential candidate.
Mr Mark described the omission as an indication that the governor was not fully aligned with the APC’s national leadership.
“When we said that the governor, Senator Douye Diri, is not supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we knew exactly what we were saying. Now Governor Douye Diri has erected APC campaign billboards across Bayelsa State without Tinubu’s picture. He is even afraid to associate himself with the photograph of the presidential candidate of his own party. How can this governor claim to be supporting President Tinubu?” he said.
The PDP, however, maintained that the governor’s public campaign posture raised questions about his commitment to the President’s re-election bid. Its allegation over the billboards now places the issue of the relationship between the state APC leadership and the party’s national campaign among the political questions likely to feature in Bayelsa’s preparations for 2027.
The PDP’s allegation has introduced a fresh political dimension to the APC’s preparations in Bayelsa, even as Governor Diri publicly called on party leaders and members to close ranks and mobilise support for all its candidates.
“Every person picked as a member of this campaign council was carefully scrutinised. I want to tell you that our campaign team is loaded. We parade the best candidates among all the parties in Bayelsa State, and there is no doubt about that,” he said.
He urged members to remain focused and united, warning that political opponents could exploit any divisions within the party.
“Our unity is very important because they would want to feast on our disunity. We will not give them that opportunity. Please, as you carry out this assignment, do not take your eyes off the target,” Hon. Ogoriba said.
SP Edafe explained that during the meeting, the organisers were briefed on the identified security threats and advised against embarking on an open-road procession.
Instead, the police reportedly recommended that the political activities be conducted at a designated venue where adequate security arrangements could be provided.
However, the Command alleged that the organisers disregarded the security advice and proceeded with the road procession.
Meanwhile, the Delta State Government has condemned the political violence that erupted in Asaba, the state capital, on Saturday, confirming that one person was killed while four others sustained serious injuries.
The government described the incident as unfortunate and unacceptable, warning political parties and their supporters against actions capable of threatening public peace, security and democratic participation in the state.
In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, the government reiterated its zero tolerance for political violence, intimidation and other forms of political misconduct.
Mr Aniagwu said the government had repeatedly cautioned political parties against engaging in activities capable of disrupting the peace, insisting that the incident could have been avoided if the organisers had followed security advice.
According to him, the police had advised the organisers to cancel the proposed street march and instead conduct their political campaign at a designated venue where adequate security arrangements could be provided.
He expressed concern that the advice was allegedly disregarded, resulting in a confrontation that claimed one life and left four other people seriously injured.
The government subsequently called on the police to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the violence and ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to justice.
Mr Aniagwu further warned that the state government would not tolerate politically motivated attacks against any individual, regardless of political affiliation.
He maintained that Delta State remained safe for residents and visitors, stressing that the government would not allow the actions of individuals or groups to undermine the prevailing peace and security in the state.
The government also urged political parties, their leaders and supporters to conduct their political activities within the confines of the law and demonstrate respect for human life, public order and the rights of other citizens.
The latest development follows an attack on supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) during a political procession in Asaba, which reportedly left several participants injured and campaign vehicles vandalised.
The government’s condemnation comes amid growing concerns over political violence and the safety of opposition supporters as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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