Constituencies which return their representatives to the National Assembly stands to benefit more than those who elect new ones in every four years, Speaker of the House of Representatives Hon Yakubu Dogara, has said.
Speaking in Onitsha, Anambra state shortly after commissioning two roads facilitated by Senator Stella Oduah and House Deputy Minority Leader Hon Chukwuka Onyeama on Saturday, Dogara said parliamentarians with cognate legislative experience are the ones that usually occupy sensitive leadership positions which enable them to attract federal presence to their people.
He said there was no way his constituency of Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa would have produced the Speaker of they didn’t elect him for three consecutive terms.
He commended both Senator Oduah and Hon Onyeama for facilitating the construction of the two roads and urged the people of Anambra North Senatorial District and Ogbaru Federal Constituency to reward them on February 16 by returning them to the National Assembly.
He therefore called on the people to use the opportunity offered by the 2019 elections to effect the much needed change so as to bring to an end the wanton killings and insecurity that has engulfed most parts of the country and usher in a business friendly government under Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP).
“If you were a business man, in the last three and a half years or so, you will know how your business has fared. For those who have desired to live in peaceful communities, here is even a bit better, in the North farmers cannot even go to the farm, people are being kidnapped, in Abuja you can’t even travel to Kaduna by road.”
“We don’t even talk of the Northeast where I come from, the crisis of Boko Haram. There are not only resurgence but they are devastating in the wake of their resurgence. We can talk about Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina, these are States in crisis virtually all the States on the axis of Plateau, Southern Kaduna, Benue, Taraba and some parts of Adamawa State is not safe even to go to farm. So it is in the wake of this that God has given us another opportunity to correct our leadership, and see what is good for us. So democracy is very good in the sense that it gives us the opportunity to correct ourselves even when we make mistakes, and that opportunity is here for us to determine whether this is the kind of Government that we want to sustain. And if this is not the kind of government that we want to sustain going forward, the responsibility is for us to effect an immediate change that would bring succor to our suffering people.”
“Talking about poverty and security, in fact talking about a government in the absence of security is not even possible, because you need to be alive to be enjoying the benefits of a government. The fact that there is so much bloodshed, people are being killed in the farms, on the streets, everywhere you go to. So what use is the benefits and purpose of a democracy?
“Therefore we have this wonderful opportunity that we alone can exercise in order to install the kind of leadership that we want, the kind of leadership that would be to the betterment of our people. But if we refuse, certainly nothing will happen. God is not going to send Angels to come and fight for us, if he’s going to send anyone; we are the ones that He has sent here to prompt you to effect the much needed change.”
“So that is the challenge that is before us, whether it is regarding the economy, when we talk about education here we are not even lowering the standard, no one can even talk about standard, even the basic minimum, we cannot even boast of. I have said it before that any government that trivializes the budget of education in terms of developmental needs should not be let excusable, whatever it takes, a solution must be found. This solution must be found in leadership, once you have true leadership, you can even make miracles out of scarce resources. So that is the challenge before the nation and I’ve thrown that challenge before you- do you want to vote for the Nigerian interest or your personal interest?”
The Speaker was also conferred with the traditional title of Nwannedinamba I of Ogbaru Kingdom, Anambra state by HRH, Igwe Chuma Onyia Okakwu of Odekpe Kingdom.
