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  • President, Saraki, Dogara meet over budget, rift

    President, Saraki, Dogara meet over budget, rift

    BEHIND closed doors and separately, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday met with Senate President Bukola Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara in Abuja.

    Expectedly, the festering rift between the Presidency and the National Assembly took the centre stage.

    The President first met with the Speaker before meeting the Senate President —for about 40 minutes each.

    The meetings confirmed yesterday’s The Nation story — that the President was billed to meet with the leadership of the National Assembly as part of efforts to address the strained relationship between the Executive and the Legislature.

    It was learnt that the meetings also discussed Budget 2017, the  amendment to the Electoral Act 2010 and other national issues.

    The Senate President and the Speaker, who spoke to State House correspondents after the meetings, said they had “routine consultation’’ with the President.

    Saraki told reporters that the relationship between the two arms of government remained cordial.

    His words: “The relationship is very cordial; you cannot examine (the National Assembly) by one or two issues.  That is the point I’m making. You cannot examine (the relationship) based on NDDC or examine it based on EFCC.

    “We have other issues like the ministerial (names) we are going to work on and the amnesty we will soon work on. We have the budget that is more important, we have INEC; we have the PIB (Petroleum Industry Bill); we have so many things and I think it is a mixture of all that that should guide us. So, don’t let us overheat the polity.’’

    On the six months suspension of Senator Ali Ndume,  Saraki said he lacked the power to recall the former Senate Leader as being advocated by some individuals and groups.

    He said: “We should try and understand how the parliament works. I wish I had such powers; these powers you give me, I wish I had them. The President or Speaker is first among equals. They are just presiding officers.

    “But, unfortunately, you know the legislative arm is the youngest people don’t understand. People give us these powers that we have. Decisions that are taken in plenary are decision of all. But, I have a role to be able to convey the message.

    “I will convey the message of the visit of the Governor of Borno and the Senate is one. We are all one family. There will be issues like that; there is nothing that is sacrosanct or rigid.”

    He added that the National Assembly is working hard on Budget 2017.

    According to him, one of the reasons for visiting the President was to let him know how far the National Assembly had gone on the budget.

    He said: “We are on course, as you noted last week, we did ask all the sub-committees to submit their reports to the appropriation Committee. All that has been done now. It’s now collation and review. Then, hopefully, it will be passed very soon.”

    On the suspension of screening of Resident Electoral Commissioners, he said: “As I said, this is a routine meeting. There are many things that are important. But there are other things that are even more important to do, which is the budget.

    “We talked also about the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Bill that we have passed. I took the President through some of the areas; very important areas. Because you know the President over many years is somebody that has gone to many elections. So, that was something he was really excited about. Some of the new amendments like electronic voting, talks about electronic process for collation. Those are landmark achievements that we hope that very soon, the House will concur and we will all come here for the President to assent.

    “Some of these other issues will happen, but I don’t think it’s a major issue. But we are still moving ahead and still consulting.”

    On his views on the reconciliatory committee set up under the chairmanship of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Saraki said: “Good development. But like I said, there will always be issues on one or two things. It doesn’t mean that it is the foundation of it.

    “When you have an arm of government that has to do with confirmation, there will always be…for example, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Bill.  We rejected three people from NDDC. We keep on moving. We are all part of one government. That is why despite all these, still major decisions are taken.

    “Like I said, we did critical amendments on INEC by Tuesday or Wednesday (today or tomorrow). For the first time in the history of the legislature, we are going to lay a report on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) for consideration. It has never happened. For the past 20 years, it has not gotten to this stage. So, it’s work in progress in the interest of Nigeria.

    “Don’t let us get distracted by one or two infractions. It’s bound to happen. Even America that we are copying, today as we are watching, see what is happening on the Supreme Court. These are things that happen in a democracy. But, I can reassure Nigerians that it’s just a drop in the ocean. It is not an issue that should stir the whole nation; be rest assured.”

    Also speaking on the outcome of his meeting with the President, Dogara dismissed speculations that he was at the Villa over crisis between the executive and the legislature.

    The Speaker said: “It baffles me when people see you visiting Mr. President, the assumption out there is that something is going wrong. Nothing is wrong. It is just a routine consultation.

    “You might look at it as crisis but I don’t look at it as crisis. You know I have always said this that as a government our value will be the problems we have solved.

    “We can’t be remembered for avoiding or running away from problems. It is only whený we provide solution to some of the things you refer to as crises and we look at them as opportunities to begin anew that people will now remember us for putting down enduring legacies.”

    On the proposed protest against the recent activities at the National Assembly, Dogara said Nigerians were free to express their views peacefully.

    He said: “This is a democracy we are running and we have to open the space to civil society, to everyone who feels aggrieved to be able to air his grievances.

    “So, if they have grievances against the institution of the legislature, we will take it.’’

     

  • Dogara, Reps move to tackle pension monster

    Dogara, Reps move to tackle pension monster

    Senior citizens last week took their worsening situation to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and left with smiles on their faces.

    Dogara did not offer them money, neither did he offer them a loan but he assured that the case will not only be tackled with the instrumentality of law but promised to take it personally to President Muhammadu Buhari, who he said has zero tolerance for workers’ suffering arising from unpaid dues.

    The visit was initiated by the Speaker with the adoption of a motion by the House on the urgent need to address the N285b owed pensioners in Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) as well as another N174b owed those on Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) arising from non-payment of 33 percent arrears.

    The House had resolved that Buhari should approve a bailout to offset the arrears or provide the required funds in the 2017 Budget. The Senate, on the prompting of the House, followed suit with the adoption of the same prayers. Determined to have a firsthand feel of what the senior citizens are going through, Dogara arranged for the meeting and got more than he bargained for.

    Afolayan, accompanied by over 30 senior citizens broke it down and Dogara resolved that the Buhari everybody knows could not have been aware of the sordid picture painted by Afolayan. The 78 year old Afolayan said: “Pensioners have become endangered species and prone to all kind of diseases which are age related and need money for treatment. This is a very important reason why government needs to ensure that pensioners are paid as at when due, especially considering the fact that these old people have used their youthful days to serve this country meritoriously. Now that it is the payback time, the country should not fail them.

    After listing the challenges confronting them, he said “it is in view of the above that I want to use this medium to appeal to the Hon. Speaker to use his God given position to plead with the Federal Government on behalf of the vulnerable Nigerian pensioners to provide sufficient funds in 2017 Budget Appropriation Bill to offset all the pension liabilities.

    “We share the feelings of the federal government as far as the ongoing economic recession is concerned, but as we have mentioned earlier, we have to reiterate that pension should be placed on FIRST LINE CHARGE so that pension payment will not go through the traditional rigorous budgetary allocation process. Our prayers are not many, what we are asking for is provision of sufficient funds in the 2017 Appropriation Bill towards offsetting the outstanding liabilities both under the DBS and CPS Mr. Speaker Sir, your name will be written in gold when the history of the Union is re-written, if this feet is achieved during your time; Needless to remind you that our members are dying daily in pain, penury, frustration and abject poverty without enjoying the fruits of their labour”.

    Moved, Dogara looked at the position of law on the issue with  emphasis that all pensions due to retired public service workers must be paid because it is a constitutionally provided right to be paid their pension. Citing section 173 (1 & 2) of the 1999 Constitution, he stressed that it is the responsibility of the federal government to ensure that pensions earned by the pensioners are paid as and when due, as failure to do this could be a breach of the laws of the country.

    He assured the delegation that the House will ensure that it “speaks and speak with a loud and clear voice” on the need to make this aspect a priority, while casting doubts that President Muhammadu Buhari is aware of the huge debts owed them. “The President is a pensioner himself; he is and I know that he has always been concerned about issues related to salaries and pensions. He has been so concerned that he has extended assistance to state governments to bail them out with funds to pay salaries and pensions at state levels and I believe having taken such steps, he won’t be so unconcerned about his own responsibility to pensioners of the Federal Republic. So, I believe there is a disconnect somewhere and that is what we have to connect now and to see that even if the last person in the state gets his salary and pension, if we don’t address our pensioners at the federal level, we have failed and that message will be delivered by God’s grace”.

  • Dogara to Presidency: do more to comply with National Assembly’s resolutions

    Dogara to Presidency: do more to comply with National Assembly’s resolutions

    House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara yesterday described alleged apathy by the Executive to the resolutions of the National Assembly as not encouraging.

    He asked the Presidency to see the legislature as partner and implement the decisions of the lawmakers.

    He, however, said the All Progressives Congress (APC)-government has not failed Nigerians.

    The Speaker, who made the observations at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja, debunked insinuations that he was on political exile in the Federal Capital Territory because of a face-off with Bauchi State Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar.

    Dogara said the disagreement with the governor was not personal, but based on the fact that the governor has not lived up to his electoral promises.

    He said: “As to whether we are satisfied with the level of compliance with our resolutions, the answer is no. That is why in the last House, we established a committee known as the Committee on Legislative Compliance and the essence of that committee is to seek to compel compliance with resolutions of the legislature and the committee is working.

    “They have a record of the resolutions that have been complied with and resolutions that have not been complied with. And for those that have not complied with the resolutions of the National Assembly, what we are trying to do is to give the committee more bite.

    “So, it’s something we are aware of and doing everything possible to ensure that there is more compliance with the resolutions of the National Assembly through the instrumentality of that committee.

    “Also, I won’t call the role of the House of Representatives’ mediation as such, but I said our principle is cooperation with the Senate so that together, we can achieve more cooperation with the Executive. Where we will disagree, we will disagree. But in most areas, we should look for ways of cooperating more than fight.”

    Dogara offered an advice on how best to resolve issues that might come up between the two arms.

    He added: “We must always meet, talk to each other, reduce areas of conflict and where there are conflicts, we will overcome them.

    “Like I said, however, there will always be conflicts. But what distinguishes us as leaders is whether we overcome those conflicts or we are overcome by those conflicts, and that is what we cannot allow.

    “So, we try to do that. The House will go to any length, talk to anybody in the Senate, in the Executive, so we can forge an atmosphere that is convenient to work with. So, it’s part of the work we do as leaders and as institutions of government, we should encourage more consultations, more dialogues, especially on issues.”

    Regarding the performance of the APC, Dogara said the government has not failed Nigerians.

    He said: “I wouldn’t say that we (APC government) have disappointed Nigerians. For you to come to that kind of conclusion, you’d have to take certain factors into consideration.

    “Now what was it that we met on ground? What is it that we have improved upon as a government? And what is it that we are seeking to do? I guess it is after looking at the whole gamut of these issues that you’ll be able to arrive at the decision whether we have disappointed Nigerians or not.

    “You can’t talk of disappointment in a nature that is a value judgment, because it depends on the expectation. It’s only having an expectation that you can be disappointed. For me, I can say that a lot has been achieved, even though unsung in most cases. In the context of our society, people want to see first class roads and hospitals. They want to see the tangibles, but nobody places value on the intangibles.

    “For us that come from the Northeast, even some of us that live and work in Abuja, remember how dire this issue of terrorism was. We were all living on the throes of violence. The Police Headquarters here was bombed, United Nations (UN) Mission here in Abuja was bombed, bombs exploded in Kaduna, Kano, Jos, in Nyanya as well. There was even threat of this mayhem being exported to the Southwest and other regions of this country. If you look at it, we have exited from that.”

  • He’s a dogged fighter for democracy, says Dogara

    He’s a dogged fighter for democracy, says Dogara

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara,  has described the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu as a dogged fighter for democracy, who has made invaluable contributions to democratic governance.

    Dogara, in a statement yesterday by his Special Adviser (Media and Public Affairs), Turaki Hassan,  while rejoicing with the former Lagos State governor on the occasion of his 65th birthday, likened him to the proverbial elephant that cannot be described and argued that any attempt to describe him will amount to grave injustice.

    It reads: “He is undoubtedly one of the leading lights of our modern democracy. I can only say this based on the part I have touched. I see him as someone who is demonstrating the attributes of a true leader.

    “He is not a regional leader. Some who thought he had everything cut out for him in the Southwest and he may not be able to play on a more national platform, got it wrong as they saw how together with some other committed leaders in this country, how they midwifed a political organisation that so many pundits believed it was impossible for them to midwife. They midwifed it and in the history of this country, for the first time, an opposition party, which was built on some blocks, including the great Asiwaju himself, succeeded in wrestling power from the hands of the ruling party.”

    “Like wine, which they say tastes better with age, the Speaker prayed for Tinubu to age gracefully and in good health, so that some of us who have come to see him as a mentor will continue to learn more and drink from the fountain of his wisdom.”

    “As you celebrate another dawn in your life, I congratulate you and pray the Almighty God to continue to keep you in good health and strengthen you as you continue in your contribution to the giant strides our nation is making,” the Speaker said.

     

  • Saraki, Dogara brief Buhari on National Assembly’s activities

    Saraki, Dogara brief Buhari on National Assembly’s activities

    •’We’ll pass budget this month’ 

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday met behind closed doors with Senate President Bukola Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara on many issues that transpired in the country while he was on medical vacation.
    Issues discussed at the about 40 minutes meeting included budget, ambassadorial nominees, Niger Delta, Eurobond and the issue of Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Walter Onnoghen, who was confirmed in the President’s absence.
    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Saraki said: “After being away for a while, it’s good for us to meet and generally review things that were done in his absence. So, it’s normal consultation.”
    Asked to assess the President’s health, being a medical doctor, Saraki said: “I came here to discuss the issues regarding the activities in the National Assembly in his absence. The president met with us and I think we were there for over 40 minutes. I was not talking to myself. So, you know he was responding and we were engaging and he engaged us very well.
    “We discussed issues of national interests so we are happy to see him back and he is back at the office and he is doing his work.”
    On what Nigerians should expect since the President has sent letter of his resumption, he said: “Well, the budget is ongoing, things that we passed in his absence, the issue of the CJN, the Eurobond, just general issues that are pending, the issue of the ambassadorial nominees that is due and the stability in the Niger Delta; a whole range of issues were covered in the short period of time.”
    Saraki said the National Assembly is still working hard to pass the 2017 Budget this month.
    “We are working on it and our target is still this month and we are working very hard to ensure we meet that deadline,” he said.
    Dogara, on his part, said he was not in the Villa to assess the President.
    On what should be expected now with the relationship between the executive and the legislature, he said: “I have always said this even before Mr. President that in the other climes, it is us always the province of the legislature to fight the executive. We fight on issues bothering on national interests but we expect to cooperate more than we fight in the interest of our people to ensure that there is progress, one government no division.
    “So, it is in the realisation of this that we will always extend the needed support to ensure that he succeeds so that our government will be rated as a successful one.”

  • Update: Buhari, Saraki, Dogara meet on budget, ambassadorial nominees

    Update: Buhari, Saraki, Dogara meet on budget, ambassadorial nominees

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday met behind closed doors with the Senate president, Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, on many issues that transpired in the country while he was on medical vacation.

    Issues discussed at the about 40 minutes meeting included budget, ambassadorial nominees, Niger Delta, Eurobond, and the issue concerning the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, who was confirmed in his absence.

    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Saraki said “after being away for a while it’s good for us to meet and generally review things that were done in his absence, so it was a normal consultation.

    Asked to assess the President’s health being a medical doctor, the Senate president added: “I came here to discuss the activities in the National Assembly in his absence, the President met with us and I think we were there for over 40 minutes. I was not talking to myself, so you know he was responding and we were engaging and he engaged us very well.

    “We discussed issues of national interests. So we are happy to see him back and he is back at the office working.”

    On what Nigerians should expect since the President has sent letter of his resumption, he said “well, the budget is ongoing, things that we passed in his absence, the issue of the CJN, the Eurobond, just general issues that are pending, the issue of the ambassadorial nominees that is due and the stability in the Niger Delta. These are some of the issues we covered in the short period of time.

    He said the National Assembly is still working hard to pass the 2017 Budget this month.

    “We are working on it and our target is still this month and we are working very hard to ensure we meet that deadline,” Saraki added.

    Dogara, on his part, said he was not in the Villa to assess the President.

     

  • Updated: Buhari, Saraki, Dogara meet on budget, ambassadorial nominees, Niger Delta

    Updated: Buhari, Saraki, Dogara meet on budget, ambassadorial nominees, Niger Delta

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday met behind closed doors with the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, on many issues that transpired in the country while he was on medical vacation.

    Issues discussed at the about 40 minutes meeting included budget, ambassadorial nominees, Niger Delta, Eurobond, and appointment of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen, who was confirmed in his absence.

    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Saraki said “After being away for a while it’s good for us to meet and generally review things that were done in his absence, so it’s normal consultation.”

    Asked to assess the President’s health being a medical doctor, Saraki said “I came here to discuss the issues regarding the activities in the National Assembly in his absence, the president met with us and I think we were there for over 40 minutes. I was not talking to myself, so you know he was responding and we were engaging and he engaged us very well.”

    “We discussed issues of national interests so we are happy to see him back and he is back at the office and he is doing his work.”

    On what Nigerians should expect since the President has sent letter of his resumption, he said “Well, the budget is ongoing, things that we passed in his absence, the issue of the CJN, the Eurobond, just general issues that are pending, the issue of the ambassadorial nominees that is due, the stability in the Niger Delta a whole range of issues  were covered in the short period of time.”

    He said that the National Assembly is still working hard to pass the 2017 Budget this month.

    “We are working on it and our target is still this month and we are working every hard to ensure we meet that deadline,” he said

    Dogara, on his part, said that he was not in the Villa to assess the President.

    On what should be expected now with the relationship between the executive and the legislature, he said “I have always said this even before Mr. President that in the other climes it is us always the province of the legislature to fight the executive, we fight on issues bothering on national interests but we expect to cooperate more than we fight in the interest of our people to ensure that there is progress, one government no division.”

    “So it is in the realization of this that we will always extend the needed support to ensure that he succeeds so that our government will be rated as a successful one,” he added

     

  • Dogara receives President Buhari’s resumption letter

    The Speaker of House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, on Monday, received communication from President Muhammadu Buhari on his resumption to duty.

    The letter was handed over to the speaker by Hon. Abdurhaman Kawu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters (House of  Representatives) in Abuja.

    Dogara, while receiving the letter, said he would read it to his colleagues during plenary on Tuesday.

    According to him, the letter will be read to members on the floor of the House of Representatives and thereafter, comments will be taken.

    He said “permit me to thank you for working hard to ensure that there is harmonious working relationship between the Executive and the National Assembly.

    “In your own case, I can say it is an appointment that we can truly say amounted to putting a round peg in a round hole or a square peg in a square hole.

    “So, no wonder we have seen to some extent some form of understanding between the National Assembly and the presidency.

    “We promise to cooperate more than we fight like I said before.

    “We will always fight and that has been the practice in all climes and ours cannot be an exception but we will cooperate more in the interest of our people, rather than fight.”

    Rep. Kawu commended the speaker for supporting the president and the executive arm of government.

  • Osinbajo, Saraki, Dogara attend Business Council meeting

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday chaired the Presidential Enabling Business Council meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The closed- door meeting was attended by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.

    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Osinbajo said: “This is an expanded meeting of presidential enabling business environment council and we have had the pleasure and privilege of having the Senate president and the Speaker. The whole idea is to work together in trying to improve business environment in Nigeria.

    “We have looked at three broad areas – entry and exit of goods, entry and exit of persons into Nigeria and the whole idea of transparency and efficiency in government agencies and parastatals.

    “Of course the whole idea is to provide an environment for those who want to do business (both local and foreign) in Nigeria.

    “A lot of work has already been done, there are pieces of legislation that we are also looking forward to seeing and we have been working with the National Assembly to ensure that these pieces of legislation are passed.

    “Of course there are some improvements which we expect to see at our ports, airports, seaports, Immigrations, granting of visas and those kinds of things.”

    He said the Council has set timelines to ensure that things go on smoothly.

    “We are not just speaking about these things without necessarily tying ourselves down to specific timelines. So we are looking forward to an improved business environment in the shortest possible time,” the acting President said.

    Saraki said the presence of National Assembly members at the meeting was to emphasize the importance of the meeting.

    “It is a very good initiative. Some of the issues about addressing business environment are addressed to policies but there are some that need legislation and we have been talking about what is our own responsibility there,” he stated.

     

     

  • Dogara: Political Icon of the Year

    The Board of Editors voted for you in recognition of your antecedents as a dogged patriot, a torch bearer, a staunch believer in the principle of the separation of powers and ultimately the defender of the democratic faith. We have followed your path since you emerged the Speaker of the House. We also know that there have been battles here and there. But you are still here and we recognize the courage you have shown maintaining the delicate balance between the independence of the legislature and working with the executive and more importantly, your safeguarding the principle of separation of power without rocking the boat.” These were the exact words of Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of The Sun newspaper Eric Osagie when he led management staff of the paper to formally notify the Speaker of the award as Political Icon of the Year 2016.

    Tomorrow, the Speaker will step forward for this recognition, which comes with its own concomitant responsibilities.

    Coming from a very humble background, one would have said that he was not cut out for politics because from his days at the University of Jos to the early part of his legal practice; nothing in his life indicated that he will become a politician. His life, is a personification of the awesome grace of the almighty God who has consistently led him in all his endeavours.  What distinguishes and endears him to people is his uncommon humility which is seldom the case with people occupying high positions in our country. He plays politics without bitterness and reaches out to even his staunchest critics and self-declared enemies.

    I recall that just few hours after his election as Speaker on June 9, 2015, the Speaker started the work of reaching out to his opponent in both words and actions as he said in his inaugural speech that, “together we will heal the wounds and divisions of this contest. Together we shall work to deliver good legislation and good government to our people.”

    At around 2am, we drove to the residence of Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila in Apo Legislative quarters in Abuja in company of scores of members where he truly began the work of healing the wounds and divisions of the election.  It was the Speaker’s singular decision even against the wishes of many of his strong supporters and allies in the House that saw to the emergence of Gbajabiamila as the House Leader. He continued to appeal to and pacify those opposed to it and the rest as they say, is history. Tomorrow, the House Leader is leading members, friends and colleagues to accompany the Speaker to receive this award in Lagos.

    The next big challenge was the constitution of the standing committees of the House. In that too, Dogara was able to navigate the tumultuous waters displaying uncommon political and leadership prowess. In spite of initial misgivings by few of his colleagues everything went smoothly and one after the other he kept reaching out to them.

    I recall that the House Chief Whip Rt. Hon. Alhassan Ado Garba once told me that he was shocked and that if he had his way he would have dug the ground and buried himself when he heard a knock on his door and lo and behold it was the Speaker – the very man whom he did everything to stop from emerging and even continued to oppose his leadership. Once the door was opened the Speaker only told him that “Alhassan we are brothers please come let’s work together. Let’s put our differences aside and begin the work of remaking Nigeria.”

    Interestingly, for these same and many other reasons the Leadership newspapers bestowed on him the award of Politician of the Year 2015. Of particular interest is that these recognitions are coming despite desperate, calculated and well-planned efforts and attempts by his traducers to tarnish his hard-earned reputation as incorruptible and patriotic leader. Thankfully, the Speaker has been able to come out clean, with his head high.

    The tales of lies, mischief, distortions, and allegations peppered with tongue-in-cheek drumbeats and obvious fabrications have now crumbled on their very head. Nigerians now know the truth because as Winston Churchill said “Truth is incontrovertible. Panic may resent it, ignorance may deride it, malice may distort it, but there it is.”

    There is nothing greater than the truth and Dogara’s life story reflects nothing but the truth. It is his life, his way and what defines his person. Here is one who achieved greatness through sheer hard work, honesty, commitment to common cause and antique shrewdness.

    It is Dogara’s philosophy that leaders should at all times live exemplary lives of service, sacrifice and selflessness. The Speaker always says that justice is needed in building a civil society, and that for societies to grow, leaders must understand the workings of justice which is necessary in any democracy for equality to thrive. In fact, he strongly believes that establishing both principles is necessary for Nigeria to make any meaningful progress.

    Today, the House of the Nigerian people, the green chamber, is at peace with itself and busy legislating for the good of the people. Indeed, Dogara’s efforts and leadership have started yielding positive fruits for the country as record numbers of bills are being passed on daily basis. In just one and half years, more than 150 bills have been passed by the House just as work is being done on about 800 more. Of the 18 non-budget-related bills signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, 17 are House bills and all emanated from the statues reforms committee set up by the Speaker.

    In addition to this, Dogara is also strongly leading campaigns for the financial and political autonomy for local governments which saw the leadership of Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees paying him a “Thank you and solidarity” visit recently.

    Worthy of mention is the Speaker’s interventions on the humanitarian crisis in the North-east where he is championing calls for the convocation of an international donor conference to rebuild the region in addition to his sponsoring of the North East Development Commission Establishment bill which is now awaiting presidential assent; to his many visits to Internally Displaced Persons camps across the country providing succour and relief materials to them.

    “This kind of award…serves as a motivation and without motivation we cannot achieve much. We cannot innovate without motivation and whether we like it or not, politics remains the only way through which leadership can be recruited in many countries and the only way we can institute governments. So, it (politics) has come to be with us; we cannot run away from it. It can only take people and not angels to improve on existing situations; so when leaders who truly love what they do are motivated, this increases the chances of having better leadership, which will translate to the development of the country,” the Speaker said on December 6, 2016 when management of The Sun newspaper delivered the award letter to him.

     

    • Hassan is Special Adviser on Media & Public Affairs to Speaker Dogara