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Hon. Timothy Golu is presently the chip whip and also member representing Kanke Constituency in the Plateau state House of Assembly, before his election in 2011 by his Ngas People of Kanke Local Government to representthem in the state Assembly, Golu has been a household name in the print Media, a veteran Journalist of repute, He started his career as a reporter with the famous Nigerian standard newspaper, worked with several Newspapers and later joins The Leadership Newspaper where he served in different capacity as the Political correspondent, Political editor and also state house correspondent. In this interview with our plateau state correspondent in Jos, the Lawmaker speaks on several issues ranging from his achievement in two years, complete autonomy of the state Houses of Assembly, support the two term tenure for the Presidency, and describe Nigerian Journalists as the best in the world amongst other issues.
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Hon. How can you describe been a Journalist and a Politician at the same time?
Well it has been quite interesting, but quite challenging and hectic at the same time, but because am already aware of what am going into before i came into it, I try to see how I can harmonises all the challenges and then the other side of it, because it is blending them together, because you cannot found absolutism in one side, you can’t never get an express thing at the other side because is about life just like you have the better side of it, you have the sweet side of it and its like that with other profession, so even when I was a Journalist I was the political correspondent so that gave me an inside on what to expect when I was seeking for this office, so is not too different from what i envisage, but definitely as an observer then there are things that are more practical that i can confirm now than before, but the boundary is not too much.
What would you say, you have been able to achieve for your constituents within two years in office as a lawmaker?
In fact I have worked with politicians for a number of years as a Journalist, I have worked with them at the highest level of the governance of this country, I have work with about three Presidents, worked with Ministers, worked with governors and top government official at different level both politicians and bureaucrat, I have seen what most of them are doing, some of them impress me seriously and some of them am happy with what they are doing, some people have the opportunity ,but they are not using it to the benefit of the people, so I was challenge and I say if given an opportunity like this people I can be able to do something , because there are thing you see clearly that one can do it your elected you have the opportunity to go and lobby something for your people and you don’t want to go, there are things that you just go and present yourself as the representative of these people and it is done for your and some people are not doing it, you know there thing that you can equally initiate by putting your own people to do because that is all about leadership, and sometimes you need to push them open their eyes to see that there is a need to be able to do these things and when you push them, they stand up and do it , but sometimes if you done know it there no way you can initiate or inspire them to do it. I will tell you that democracy itself has not been able to achieved its goal from the time democracy our was restored because of so many factors, so if as a nation we are not able to, yet to achieved the goal of democracy, if as a state we are yet to achieved the goal of democracy, then as an individual if I tell you that I have achieved some then am lying, am not there yet, but it is not also too bad, I have not fail my people, but I have not also meet the yearning of my people the way I want it, I have done my best within the limit of my ability, whatever I can do, I have done it, whatever I have not done is beyond my control for now, but I want to thank the state government for the opportunity that has existed between the legislature and the Executive and that has been responsible for the performance of some of us in the house of Assembly, because when I came in I know that my salary and allowances cannot do anything, cannot take me any where cannot able to help me meet the need of my people, and so I took advantage of the social community and development agency established by the state government you know through the act of the house of Assembly, the governor graciously provided funds for them so that they can help people who want to developed, but they are incapacitated because that is the sole aim of that agency to help those who want to do something, but they do not have enough to do it, you bring ten percent and then the state government gives you ninety percent, it would have been through the ministry or any other structure that use to be, but the governor saw that there is wisdom in these thing because there is different structure that will pursue and ensure the supervision of the developmental project at this level and to God be the glory it has been working.
So I was able to provide some funds as counterpart after identifying the project of my various communities, and today I have been able to grind together with the assistance from the social community agency about 22kilometer road within my constituency and now the people of Dawaki, Tabwul, Sunji, the people of Mwet, Namil and Lerpi within the same Axis can be able to move freely, the vehicle that don’t use to go there can now go there easily , I when there two weeks ago to that place and I discover that the road has really help them, and is still very perfect after it has been grinded a year ago that tell you that democracy is working. I have also able to provide over thirty boreholes to my constituents, apart from the one I sank here in Jos some people complaints that why should I put it in a different constituency, but this constituency is also my own, I stay here within Jos South, I benefit from their water, light and everything, so I am happy that I have built a motorized borehole here in Jos South, I am planning to built more both in Jos and the village. Again I have able to embark on an Electrification project courtesy of the assistance of the social community development agency, about seven kilometre electrification Project and it has been completed as am talking to you now, and this week we going with the official of power holding of Nigeria and also the official of the social community development agency I want them to also see what they have given money to us to go and do , and to the glory of God as i told you the work of a legislature is to go and lobby represent his people whatever they want you go and look for them, I was able to mobilised close to thirty employments for my own people both at the federal and state level and even within the private sector anywhere there is an opening I just go there I don’t wait for them to tell me there is an opening here, so generally that is the work of it, because democracy is about doing anything that pleases the people, that what democracy entails whether you’re the legislative or Executive, some people have said that we are doing the work of the Executive, yes I agree with that, but whatever you can do best do it for your people.
Sir, you have two more years ahead, what area do you intend to focus more as a Representative of your people?
There are many things in my mind, but I will continue with what I have start doing according to the strength that God will give me, I intend to consolidate on what I have done so far, if I have the opportunity again I will extend the electrification project, I will also continue with grinding of the roads, graciously the governor has intervened in so many things and he is happy with the things we are doing so I believed that he is going to provide more funds to the agency in other to help more people, because as you can see the agency seems to have taking over the responsibility of the local government, if you go now there are local government you don’t see anything happening, and the governor intend to provide more funds to them and we have approved about three hundred million naira as additional funds to the agency in the 2013 budget. Another big area intend to do is to look for more job opportunity for my people, because I have hundred of graduate that don’t have work to do now, it pains me each time I go home I see them intelligence people, but they done have Job to do, when I graduated from the university in 1996 I went for my NYSC I completed 1998 I stay for five years without getting a job, so I can imagine the pains they are passing through, life was at its peak challenging to me, but thank God I was later able to got a job. So I will do my best again, go to any extend to look for job for my people as I told you, whatever I can do I have written them down one by one I will follow them to make sure that I help my people, I have made up my mine not to be distraction by any form political opposition or whatever and by the grace of God even if I did not achieved hundred percent, but as a lawmaker I will surely do my best to achieved eighty percent as a legislature within this four years.
What will you say the 7th state Assembly has achieved as legislature?
As lawmakers of the plateau state house of Assembly we have achieved so much for the people of plateau state, you know the Job of a legislature or that of a legislator is more of an abstract thing, is more abstract than real, is the executive who job is more real than our own we make laws, so people don’t really come and monitor us and they don’t take interest in what the house of assembly is doing, except when it has to do with something visible the project that the governor is doing are the wonderful that the state assembly have to key in into it, that is the corporation, we approved budget, we don’t delayed budgets at all, because we believed in the capability of the governor and his has demonstrated that in different projects, and any time he bring something like we don’t waste time and some people tend to see it that why don’t we challenging the governor if he brings bills or something like that, no the governor has not ever come with any bills that is retrogressive, he has never come with bills that seeks to divide the state, he has never come with bills that seek to destroyed the state and all what the governor is doing is to add value to the state to take the state forward, and so us as lawmakers in the state we believed incorporation, we don’t believed in antagonism, we don’t believed in opposition, we don’t believed in fighting, but to some people the performance of democracy is been measure by level of fighting between executive and the legislature, and we don’t believed in that, as husbands and their wives we quarrel but we have never separate because we fight , as sons and fathers we fight and quarrel with our parents, but we have never separated, so we cannot as government fight always then it means we are not suppose to be in government if the only thing that brings us is to fight and then demonstrate show our muscles, then we are not serious minded people, it means we have not come to help our people, that is why you see us cooperating. When people say we are rubber stamps, we are not, because if we keep fighting some will be happy that we are fighting and the majority will suffer, and they will not see the dividends of democracy so which one is better is it to fight and please the opposition or to cooperate and work for the interest of the people. It is the PDP that dominate the house of assembly and it is the PDP that is in control in the state so there is no need to fight and we have taking that to a level and as legislators we have able to help the governor sustained the peace that is on ground. We have as lawmakers gone a long way to create a conducive environment for a very good and vibrant relationship amongst all those who live in Jos, I also want to commend my colleagues because we have been working together and we see plateau state as number project irrespective of political parties and religious background.
Are you in support of the states houses of Assembly autonomy?
Of course that is what the legislature existed for, when it started there was fundamental mistake from our nationalist, those who inherited democracy or took over from the colonial masters, they didn’t envisage this type of the a thing, if not it would have been there from day one as the legislature is been established the autonomy should have gone with it, because without the autonomy the house of assembly is nothing, that is why the houses of Assembly are been limited in so many ways, the relationship between the houses of Assembly and the Executive is shaking, the pendulum is not balance because of the lack of autonomy, if you’re lucky to have a governor that understands you and then you seat down the same table and talk yes to an extend he will address your issue, but if you have a governor that does not care about his people you will muscles the house of Assembly to any level whatever he want to do with house assembly he can do it, look at other states even when the autonomy was been given to us, a state governor will go and give money to the houses of assembly to killed the bill, can you imagine, that tells you the power of a governor vis-à-vis the lack of power of the houses of assembly, there is no autonomy everything we relies on the executive and if you don’t have a governor understands with you so that whenever you have a need he can take it too, sometimes the governor take the advantage since the lawmakers will come to ask of money so we will asked them to do these before we can release the money to them, and if they don’t do it there is no money for them, the governor can even asked you to go and destroyed a bill or to promote a bill that is anti-people and you do it because the governor will go and bribe all the members of the house and before you know it is there, but thank God that our governor here is different, and states houses of assembly has not been performing to maximum capacity because of the lack of autonomy, if they have this autonomy I can tell you that the quality of over sides which is the number two function of the legislature will seriously improved look at what is happening in the National Assembly , The two chambers of the National Assembly are so vibrant today because of the autonomy, they don’t wait for the President to give them money, they don’t wait for any Minister to give them money, these ones here we need to wait for the governor and if the governor have competing interest, if he has so many interest, people disturbing him, the local government are there on his neck the workers on his neck and the judiciary there on his neck, so if you bull off part of the executive financial control we will be freely to do our work, whenever the state government get it own alert about the financial allocation, we will also get our own financial alert too. Look at the national assembly, look at the judicial council as soon as the federal government get it own alert they too get their own and everybody take care of it own business. In fact the autonomy will even help the governors the more because there will be no pressure from the state house of assembly for funds, and the houses of assembly will be more organised, more focus and they will take their jobs with all seriousness. We need to be free if we are not free making laws will be affected and the quality of what we will do will be very low. And not just the houses of assembly but the local government too need to be free, because they have to be out of the control of the state so that they can be able to do their own work.
Your card carrying member of PDP, sir do you think the party will have it way come 2015?
I did not see anything that will stop PDP from moving ahead in 2015. Well this is not the first time people are making noise on the air about PDP, since 2003 there been so much noise, 2007, 20011 and is the same song that people are repeating, you see all the record shows that PDP is ahead and I want to tell you that PDP is the most organised party in Nigeria.
