Politics

Between The People’s Trust And Self Service

Published

3 years ago

December 4, 2020

Hon Onofiok Akpan Luke is the member representing Etinan/Nsit Ibom/ Nsit Ubium Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State in the House of Representatives.
Hon Luke is the House Committee Chairman on Judiciary.
A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he was a former Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly and pioneer Speaker of the Nigeria Youth Parliament.
On Friday, November 27, 2020, the federal lawmaker was guest at the November congress meeting of the Akwa Ibom State council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Uyo, the capital city of the state.
In his address to members of the fourth estate of the realm in that state, the fiery politician gave a swift rundown of his political life, ideology and accomplishments as a lawmaker and representative of his constituents.
One of the cardinal points he made in his presentation was the fact that critical issues of national development always require dispassionate and non-partisan approach from representatives across party lines to resolve.
He said for the country to make progress, matters of national development required bipartisan approach and expressed regrets that his critics expect him, as a PDP member, to oppose every issue introduced in the House by APC lawmakers.
The trained lawyer submitted that such critics do not mean well for the wellbeing of the country and the generality of the citizenry who are the ultimate beneficiaries of the business of the lawmakers.
“What my critics don’t understand is that, at the national level, bipartisan approach to governance is essential, if not pivotal.
“Your ability to coalesce the inputs of various stakeholders, regardless of party affiliations to drive home the interest of your constituency is a necessary survival instinct.
“You cannot be defining PDP/APC when there are pressing topical national issues seeking attention and legislations. Acknowledging this should not suddenly make you disloyal to your party,” he said, arguing that “Today, with this bipartisan approach to politics, I have advocated the granting of licence for the operation of Ibom Deep Seaport, reviving of Aluminum Smelter Company in Ikot Abasi, and the creation of a division of the Court of Appeal in Uyo”.
For all intents and purposes, representative Luke’s philosophy is as much needed at the national level as it is required at other levels of government, including the state and local councils, and by all political office holders for the benefit and over all development of the people on whose behalf they are in office.
Especially for some Rivers State politicians and political office holders, this is particularly instructive and one cannot but urge them to let the interest of the people’s wellbeing and welfare override their personal, sectional, party and sundry considerations.
The recent refusal by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi to be part of the South-South stakeholders meeting with the presidential delegation at Government House in Port Harcourt is one case in point of how not to behave as a political leader and a representative of the people even in appointive position, many people think.
Reacting to that unfortunate development, a faction of his own party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State, expressed disappointment at the Minister’s boycott of the meeting and called on him to render an unreserved apology to Rivers people (whom he represents as Minister) and the APC (over which he reigns as political godfather and leader in the zone).
In a release issued by the Igo Aguma-led faction of the APC in Port Harcourt, the party disclosed that Amaechi received the presidential delegation led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Amb Ibrahim Gambari at the Port Harcourt International Airport, but later “disappeared”.
The statement reads in part, “Information available to the APC in the state is that the Minister of Transportation, Rt Hon Rotimi Amaechi was at the airport in Port Harcourt to receive the presidential delegation, escorted them to the venue of the meeting, disappeared and was never part of such a critical stakeholders meeting that has to do with the South-South geo-political zone.
“The absence of the Minister of Transportation, Rt Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, who is supposed to be the minister representing Rivers State in the Federal Cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari, is most unfortunate, as there can be no justification for his non-participation.
“This is because there can be no plausible reason for his disappearance from such an important meeting of the leadership of the South-South and the Presidency aimed at discussing issues affecting our region.
“The action of the godfather of the APC in Rivers State, Rt Hon Rotimi Amaechi is an evidence of the type of leadership he is giving the APC in the state, which is solely aimed at destroying the party at all cost for his personal gain in keeping with his vows”.
While the bold and courageous stance of the APC in Rivers State in pointing out the grievous error of their leader is worthy of commendation, the message must be taken to all other politicians in the state who have continued to equate their private interest with the interest of the state in general. There are yet many politicians who see service to themselves as service to the state and have continued to wage a war with the present administration in the state only because their private interests are not being served.
Politics, they say, is a game of interest. While this may be true, the question is: whose interest is politics meant to serve, public or private? The point remains that while politics may serve private interest as well, the private interests that politics is meant to serve are only those that align and fully given to the benefit, promotion and furtherance of the public good.
It is against this backdrop that Rivers people must begin to take notice of those who ride on their back to office, only to leave them in the lurch and relegate issues concerning their welfare and wellbeing to the background.
The point cannot be overstressed that continued bickering and bitter political rivalry after elections have been lost and won and a government legitimately put in place to run the affairs of the state amount not only to a disservice to the people but also a declaration of a position of enmity against the people and the state.
As Hon Luke noted, all political office holders and indeed politicians worthy of the enterprise, whether elected or appointed, and at all levels, must purge themselves of selfishness, pride, arrogance, undue partisanship and such other debilitating tendencies in order to qualify as leaders in name and in fact.
Going forward, the only consideration that ought to confer legitimacy on any political leader in Rivers State should be what they have to show as their contributions to the overall development of the state through the instrumentality of their previously held political offices and not how loudly they criticised, how stoutly they antagonised or how bitterly they fought the governor and government of the day because indeed the state is bigger and greater than any one person, section or political party.

By: Opaka Dokubo

Politics

How We Saved N2.3bn From LG Reforms – Diri

Published

4 hours ago

April 26, 2024

The Tide

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has revealed that the reforms initiated and implemented by his administration led to the saving of the sum of N2.3 billion for the local government councils.
The governor disclosed this recently at the opening ceremony of an orientation programme organised for newly-elected local government council chairmen, vice chairmen, councilors and principal officers at Perdis Hotel, Akenfa.
Gov Diri stated that on assumption of office in 2020, some local government councils were highly indebted and unable to pay salaries but his administration took measures that resulted in regular payment of salaries, execution of projects and saving of funds.
The Bayelsa State Chief Executive restated his call on the Federal Government to create additional local councils in the state, saying it was injustice for some states to have more than 40 councils and receiving monthly allocation from the Federation Accounts Allocation Commission (FAAC), while the state had only eight.
He charged the newly elected local government officials to make good use of the two-day workshop to equip themselves with the requisite knowledge to carry out their responsibilities.
The governor also called on them to work as a team to ensure that development was felt at the grassroots.
“Local governments as at 2020 were unable to pay salaries, particularly Nembe, Ogbia, Ekeremor and Sagbama. There was some form of dissatisfaction in the system.
“After I went through the recommendations of the Deputy Governor, whom I entrusted with investigating the local government, I wasted no time in approving the recommendations.
“The recommendations included the ban on loans from any source by local government chairmen without approval of the governor; compulsory savings by every council; and the division of balance after payment of salaries into 60 and 40 per cent respectively. One part was for compulsory savings and the other to project implementation and immediate commencement of computerisation of their payroll as well as compulsory quarterly award of projects by each council chairman.
“We found a lot of fraud in the local government system. But as it stands today, our councils have N2.3billion as a result of the combination of the factors of reforms and proper supervision of that tier of government.
“The breakdown is N400million compulsory savings while N1.9 billion for capital projects. This is aside from the one done by caretaker committees in terms of project execution within the short period they stayed”, the governor said.
Gov Diri assured of his administration’s commitment to support the councils to achieve their goals and expressed confidence that the new officials would meet the expectations of the people.
“We firmly believe that good governance begins at the grassroots level. That is precisely why we have gathered here to equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge to improve our local government administration and enhance service delivery.

Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

Politics

Monarch Cautions Against Divisive Politics, Declares Support For Fubara

Published

4 hours ago

April 26, 2024

The Tide

The Eze Oruamara/Regent of Okwuzi Kingdom in Ogba/ Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of the State, Eze Victor Afaka, has sued for peace among the political class in the State.
Eze Afaka made the appeal while speaking with The Tide on the sidelines of the governorship victory thanksgiving service by the Ogba Egbema /Ndoni Chapter of the Simplified Movement in Omoku.
He said Governor Fubara should be allowed to display the vision that God has given to him to govern the state.
According to him, since every administration has its term and tenure, the man presently at the helm of affairs in Rivers State must be given the opportunity to complete his own term and tenure.
“I advise politicians to sheathe their sword and allow peace to reign. Politics and governance have their terms and tenure. When it is your tenure, you have your vision to display; when you conclude that vision God has given you as a leader of your community or of a state, you step aside and leave the next person to display the vision God has given to him” he said.
The traditional ruler said he and his people, including the youth, women and the Ogbakor Egbema, decided to attend the service because of the excellent vision of Governor Fubara
“We are happy, Okwuzi people are in full support of the government, the government of His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara”, he added.
He said that the governor’s peaceful disposition to governance has endeared him to His Kingdom, noting that Okwuzi kingdom was already a beneficiary of the present administration’s purposeful governance as the Omoku/Okwuzi road abandoned 10 years ago, was nearing completion.
“ONELGA, Okwuzi are benefitting from his government.The road that was abandoned for ten years is being completed right now and we know that there are so many other things he will do for us”, he said.
While urging the state government to give desired attention to the Okwuzi General Hospital that is in a state of dilapidation, Eze Afaka entreated Governor Fubara not to be distracted, but to continue to promote peace and development across the State.

John Bibor

Politics

APC Stakeholders Storm Secretariat, Demand Ganduje’s Resignation

Published

4 hours ago

April 26, 2024

The Tide

A group of North Central stakeholders in the All Progressives Congress (APC) has stormed the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, demanding the resignation of the National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja yesterday, the protesters said their demand followed his recent suspension by a faction of his ward executives and the alleged bribery allegation levelled against him by the Kano State government.
While they chanted solidarity songs and displayed several banners some of which read, “Ganduje must resign” and “Return the APC chairmanship to North Central,” the protesters appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, to consider returning the leadership of the party to the North Central.
Only on Tuesday, the Forum of APC State Chairmen had passed a vote of confidence on Ganduje, affirming their unalloyed support to him.
The protesters under the aegis of Concerned North Central APC Stakeholders lamented that the continued stay of Ganduje in office was a clear violation of the zoning principle in the party.
Mohammed Saba, who led the protesters, said unlike the 37 APC state chairmen, his people in the North Central have passed a vote of no confidence on the national chairman and equally demanded his immediate resignation.
Saba reiterated that the people of North Central felt betrayed when the position of APC national chairman was hijacked from them following the exit of Senator Abdullahi Adamu despite giving Tinubu the third highest votes after North West and South West at the 2023 presidential election.
He said, “We, the North Central APC Concerned Stakeholders, have resolved to unanimously agitate for our right and reclaim our mandate which was handed unto us by the National Convention of our great Party in 2022.
“Various sections of our constitution have established the procedure of replacing an executive member at all levels of the party in the event of death, resignation, incapacitation or expulsion from the party by any executive member.
“It is a fact that the emergence of Dr. Umar Ganduje as national chairman was done against the spirit and soul of the APC which is the constitution of our great party. This singular act has impacted negatively on us as a people in the North Central.