Senator Gbenga Bareehu Ashafa represents Lagos East Zone in the Senate. He is currently serving his second term and wants a third. In this interview with Tutu Audu during the week, the Ibeju-Lekki-born politician said he is convinced that the people of the district will vote en-masse to ensure he returns to the senate next year largely because of his achievement in the last eight years. Excerpts
A GOOD number of Nigerians are currently disenchanted with the National Assembly as many are saying the senate is needless. As a serving senator, what is your take on this?
It is important to understand the current feelings of our people. I quite understand how Nigerians feel towards the senate currently but it is nothing strange. If you look at the ratings of the American Senate, it would interest you to know that it is even way lower than that of President Trump with all of his controversies. The fact that legislators are not often in front of the camera cutting tapes or commissioning roads makes it a little bit more difficult to endear themselves to the people like the executive does. More so, there is not enough understanding of what the role of legislators are and so also our constituents wonder what it is that is in for them from the people representing them in the senate.
You cannot underestimate the role of the senate, particularly in a democratic exercise like ours. The senate is there to check the excesses, if need be, of the executive and to ensure that every Nigerian benefits from the revenue accrued to the country. The senate also makes the laws that the executive acts upon. Without legal backing, there will be very little that the executive can achieve. No nation can make considerable progress without the collaboration of the executive and the legislature.
Let’s get personal a bit. Would you say your own activities as a Senator have impacted directly on the lives of the average Nigerians?
I will say yes. I have done quite a bit in my little time at the senate that has had considerable impact. First is the Nigerian Postal Bill 2017 which sought to re-engineer the Nigerian postal service for better efficiency and service delivery. This will inadvertently stimulate the creation of jobs across the country and will provide support for businesses in terms of logistics. Furthermore, I have led the Nigeria Railways Bill which at its very core seeks to attract foreign direct investment by creating a level playing field for private sector participation. The core objective is to fast track the completion of our railways across the country so that people can move themselves and their goods around the country at cheaper rates. This would encourage huge economic activity by encouraging trade, tourism and industrialisation. I was also a key player in getting the approval of the 200 million dollar loan request of the Lagos State Government at the World Bank largely to fund infrastructural development across the metropolis. It is very easy to see that the bills I champion and support in the senate have huge economic implication and are capable of creating jobs and reviving the economy.
As Chairman, Senate Committee on Land Transport, what would you regard as your major achievement in the last three years?
I will consider the work we did with the Railway Bill and the Nigerian Transport Commission as the most important for me. This is because we were able to ensure that we created a level playing field for private sector participation in the transportation sector. We also dealt with and eliminate various anti-competition hurdles that discourage several individuals in the private sector from investing their resources in the economy. The idea that the Kano to Lagos, and the Lagos to Calabar railway will be completed in record time largely due to private funds, made possible by the legislative support that we continue to provide in the senate.
The people of Lagos State have been quite vocal about getting special attention from the federal government, how have you been championing this cause and what progress has been made so far?
If you consider the amount of tankers that come into Lagos every day, some from far away Maiduguri, putting pressure on our fragile infrastructure, you will agree with me that based on this alone, Lagos deserves special support from the government. Lagos is the economic gateway of the country and so millions of people move in and out of Lagos regularly, making it imperative that we continue to build on our infrastructure. Lagos generates and remits to the federal government the highest corporate taxes in the country. This tax receipt is then shared across the entire country without due consideration for the state that generate majority of the funds.
Having said that, we cannot force our will on the Nigerian people and so we in the senate must engage our colleagues in the National Assembly, debate the issues intelligently, build strong consensus and eventually get a fair deal for the people of Lagos. I can tell you that this is already happening. Senator Remi Tinubu and I are working extremely hard to make this happen and I believe that before the completion of the 9th Senate, we would have made tremendous progress on this.
Unemployment is one of, if not the biggest challenge the country faces today. What are you doing in the Senate to see that this ugly trend is reversed?
Like I explained earlier on, the bills I have championed in the senate are those that encourage private sector participation, foreign direct investment and cheap capital, all of which ultimately lead to the creation of meaningful employment for our teeming youths. My aides and I are also researching several legislations that are capable of opening up the economy and attracting huge foreign capital. We are also considering an Intellectual Property Bill that will protect the creativity of our youths and will ensure they get the requisite value for their innovation or propriety. I am also considering re-introducing the Income Tax Holiday Bill I proposed in the past which sought to give tax breaks to organisations that support sports. If we are able to get better funding in our sports generally, then we can also engage young people productively in that regard.
If there is one issue dear to your heart, which you would want solved by way of legislation what would that issue be?
I’m particularly concerned about the business community and the harsh conditions in which they operate. As such, I am working tirelessly on a bill that will give tax concessions to encourage businesses to expand and hire more people. I believe that a private sector led economy with a strong regulatory framework will deliver to the Nigerian people an economy they will be proud of. Therefore a tax bill or manufacturing bill that is aimed at encouraging business expansion and job creation will enjoy priority attention from me in the senate going forward.
You will be contesting a tough primary election with Honorable Bayo Osinowo, currently a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly. How are you bracing up for this challenge?
I am glad that we will be running a direct primary election where the people will get a chance to pick their preferred candidate based on a track record of performance, competence and results. My record speaks for itself. I have been able to complete 96 projects, sponsored 26 bills and 12 motions in my time at the senate and I want to see if Honorable Osinowo can boast of the same level of achievement in his time at the Lagos State House of Assembly. I am confident the people of Lagos East, who understand the requirements of the office of the senate and recognise my capacity, will not hesitate to return me to that seat.