By Umar Muhammad Puma
President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a statement titled “Nigeria at the Cusp of Renewed Hope,” recently declared that he would rather seek a government of national competence in putting together his cabinet, instead of considering primordial sentiments such as religion.
The president-elect said: “I seek a government of national competence. In selecting my government, I shall not be weighed down by considerations extraneous to ability and performance…Whether your faith leads you to pray in a church or a mosque will not determine your place in government. Character and competence will.”
With the governorship and state House of Assembly elections over, all eyes will be on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as it settles down to roll out a zoning formula for the presiding and principal officers’ positions in the National Assembly. And in doing so, it is imperative that the party should be guided by the position enunciated by the national leader of the party and president-elect.
There is no doubt that the nation is in dire straits hence the need to get competent, experienced and capable hands to drive the process of the ‘Renewed Hope” agenda.
This, therefore, means that in as much as other sensitive factors are being considered in the sharing of positions, competence, experience and character must not be sacrificed at the altar of primordial considerations.
Of course, looking at the geopolitical zones, one would discover that the North Central has never occupied the position of speaker since the return to civil rule in 1999. The North Central has held the position of the Senate president, deputy Senate president and deputy speaker. And in the just concluded governorship and House of Assembly elections in the North Central, the APC was able to win Benue, Kwara, Nasarawa and Niger.
The party already controls Kogi State and returned massive votes during the presidential and National Assembly elections. So, it is only natural to reward the geopolitical zone with the position of the speaker. Coming down to the North Central, Ahmed Idris Wase (CON) is not only the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives but also the highest-ranking lawmaker from the zone, who was first elected in 2007.
In fact, because of his experience, it would be appropriate to say that Wase should be accorded the right of first refusal. It can only be proper if the APC takes introspection and sees how best the landmark achievements by the Femi Gbajabiamila-led leadership could be sustained and improved upon.
One man who towers above others in this regard is the current deputy speaker. But, does Wase deserve the position? The deputy speaker is one of the most experienced of all the returning lawmakers in the House. With 16 years of cognate experience in the parliament holding key positions, Wase stands shoulders high. In his four terms as a legislator, Wase has held the chairmanship of key committees such as Federal Character.
As chairman of the Federal Character Committee, Wase’s sense of generosity knew no bounds. He didn’t care about your family background or creed. It is on record that children of the less-privileged in society were able to secure more employment in top MDAs such as the CBN, FIRS, NCC, and NDIC through him, a privilege that used to be reserved only for the children of the elite.
His experience is indeed not in doubt as he has amassed many groundbreaking bills to his credit. One such bill is the creation of additional National Orthopaedic Hospitals in three of the nation’s six geopolitical zones (Jos, North Central), Benin, South-south) and Taraba (Northeast). Another one is the Federal Medical Centre, Wase (Establishment) Act.
He was deputy majority leader in the 8th Assembly and is currently the first deputy speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament. This is no mean feat. As the first deputy speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, he has been a champion of Nigeria’s national interest within the broader interest of the West African sub-region.
Last year, when there were concerns about the recruitment process at the regional parliament, which tended to have undermined Nigeria’s leading role in the body, Wase stood his ground in the fight to place Nigeria in its rightful place.
As the chairman of the Adhoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Wase achieved uncommon milestones as the president has just assented to some of the bills passed in the amendment of the constitution. Some of these assented bills will promote true federalism, devolution of powers from the centre to the states and the strengthening of government institutions.
As the chair of the House Committee of the Whole, Wase has been very key to the passage of critical bills and his efforts towards the successful passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (now PIA) and the new Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), for ease of doing business, cannot be erased.
It is axiomatic that Deputy Speaker Wase is a party man to the core and who, following in the steps of the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has never defected or changed parties. He started with the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) until the party collapsed into the APC in 2014. He has remained consistent to date. One thing the party must not lose sight of is Wase’s humility and loyalty to the party’s decisions.
Recalled in the build-up to the election of the speaker in 2019, Wase as a loyal party man obeyed his party’s zoning formula and stepped down for the candidate of the party, Femi Gbajabiamila despite the overwhelming support he enjoyed from his colleagues.
This popularity was confirmed when he was subsequently elected unopposed as deputy speaker. Four years after such a huge sacrifice, he’s on the threshold of the speakership race again. Up till today, his popularity is still intact.
Most significantly, Wase is a reliable team player and a humble man. It will be recalled that Wase and Gbajabiamila have been working together since 2017 when he deputised the speaker, who was then the House Leader. The duo never had any issues up to the end of the 8th Assembly. In the 9th Assembly, as deputy speaker, he has maintained a cordial working relationship with the speaker.
In almost four years, there has never been any conflict between the two presiding officers. This has created an ambience of peace and tranquillity in the lower chamber. In fact, Wase’s stabilizing effect in the chamber is unequalled.
There is no doubt that he is a hard and relentless worker. He is recorded to be the deputy speaker with the highest number of sessions chaired and the highest number of reports considered in the history of the House of Representatives.
A highly principled and respected man, who believes in equity, fairness and justice in resource allocation and distribution, Wase has over the years developed a reputation amongst colleagues and non-colleagues alike of being a very generous Legislator who freely gives his time and resources for the benefit of all.
The deputy speaker is known for his persistent and unrelenting quest to pursue the interest and welfare of fellow members.
Flowing from these, the party will do itself and Nigerians a big favour by zoning the position of the speaker to the North Central and thereafter endorsing the candidature of Ahmed Idris Wase as the speaker of the 10th House of Representatives. What is good for the goose is good for the gander.
•Umar Muhammad Puma is the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives