Retreat: When House Members Converged in Minna...
Retreat is an idea that would have preceded most of the programmes of the House of Representatives, but for the Jos crisis and Bauchi State which was one of the centres also gotn threatened. It however, held and going by the frank way issues, which would have been swept under the carpet given its normal operational system were discussed, showed a glimmer of hope if it would not be all talks, reports Ahamefula Ogbu
Minna Centre of the House of Representatives' retreat by all means could pass for the main base of the retreats even though only 120 members were officially slated for the zone. There were indeed no fewer than 140 were at the zone, thereby fueling speculations that it was a special centre. This is not taking into consideration that Minna has come to be viewed as a political Mecca for politicians who are scheming for positions in 2007.
On the opening day, which was Monday, the event stood on its head as the opening ceremony was performed twice. When President Olusegun Obasanjo who was supposed to declare it open did not arrive at 10 a.m as was slated on the programme, members immediately strategised and called on resource persons to present papers. They later announced that the President would arrive Minna in the evening and declare it open. Six and half hours later, that is at 4.30pm, he did appear and declared it open and the people that prayed to open the programme had to be called again to repeat their prayers. It was only Reverend John Longhor that added a new thing to his prayer when he prayed to God that "may those who have no mercy not rule over us".
The opening had the full compliments of the Principal officers apart from those originally slated to be in Minna. Either because the place is close to Abuja, or that the President would be the one to declare the retreat open or because politicians have read the signs in the horizon and interpreted the rays to be tilting towards Minna or a combination of other political calculations, the place was full and the facilities of the town overstretched.
The highlight of the first day was the call on former Senate President whose controversy of name is still generating confusion, Chief Evan(s) Enwerem to make a brief remark. He has never been as jocularly. He recalled that retreat has come to be a place of intrigues and almost synonymous with threats to change in leaderships. He recalled what happened in Calabar on 2002 when Senator Florence Ita Giwa hosted them. Incidentally, she came with the President.
After recalling the events that precede retreats in the Senate as the practice seen to have been, he also reminded them that the event in Calabar was almost repeated in Port Harcourt when Wabara organised one and warned the House to be careful about retreats so that it would not assume another meaning. He jovially remarked that the host of the retreats that usually throw up troubles was there, in a veiled reference to the President before he concluded, "This retreat, I sincerely hope that the house of Representatives will learn from the experience of others so that it will make for greater unity and understanding between members, leadership and other arms of government".
The host governor, Alhaji Abdukadir Kure was next and he eulogized president Obasanjo for the introduction of an alternative to HIPADEC which was not named, he pledged to within the month of August, respect his own part of another unnamed understanding so that the allocations to the Local government Areas f the State would be released. He however insisted that his state followed due process in the creation of their own Local government Areas and even filed returns to the National Assembly. He regretted that the service delivery, which the plans were meant, might be affected by the development. He spoke of the impact of his administration on the general populace in the state.
After the Speaker, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari had admonished his members to see the retreat as an avenue for a retrospective look into what had been done and what better way to do them, he hoped that there would be proficiency from the skills acquired so that when back to the floor of the house, it would reflect in the volume and quality of work done, the President now spoke.
He simply referred to the allusions by Enwerem as "simple protocol" when he explained, "all what Enwerem has said, "I thank Enwerem for recalling the Calabar experience, let me say that it was protocol and those who do not know should ask". On the speech by Kure about Local government Areas, he promised to give those their due that complies with constitutionality. To him, "Five States stepped out of line, four have stepped back to line and they got what their money. I hope the remaining one will step back to line and collect their money". This was in apparent reference to Lagos State, which has refused to dissolve the newly created Council Areas.
Other people who also played prominent roles in the business of the day included former Deputy Speaker of the house, Chief Chibudom Nwuche whose entrance attracted the shout of "Tiger" since the Speaker then was called the "Lion" as if they were in an animal kingdom. He chaired discussions on the first stanza of the discussions as well as answered some questions relating to legislative procedures.
The opening day could be said to have set the tone for what was to transpire later and in the full glare of the press which smacked of no hold barred discussions. After the first paper by Mr. Garry Eneh, which dwelt on Committee works, a controversy was brewed when observers noted that in the present House, there seem to be Chairmen who ran one man show and were exhibiting more powers than the Leadership. Masari took time to explain that it was not so, adding that what they witnessed was an abnormality where such chairmen went beyond their briefs. He pledged that the leadership was subtly beating them back to line.
It was at this juncture that most contributors mainly members agitated for the power to remove Chairmen by members was floated. There was no final decision on it and it was learnt that there were fears that if such powers were put in the hands of members, the frequency of the change of the position would last as long as turns are taken on musical chairs. Another issue about Committees was the complaint that creating them as a political tool for stability should be avoided as it leads to multiplicity of Committees with dovetailing duties.
Hon Harry Oranezi was the first to point out that a retreat should not be seen as a jamboree and queried the quality of papers which he noted did not dwell on comparative analysis of democratic processes especially as regards legislative businesses which would expose them to the way things are done in other countries.
Further complaints were made on Committee levels especially with the Appropriations Committee which was alleged to be a super Committee since it could without the consideration of fact on the ground as worked out by the people in better positions to know the needs of the ministries and departments. The fury against them was hard to the extent that members stopped short of accusing the leadership of condoning the excesses of the Appropriations Committee.
The real hard knots started on the last day of the retreat when the Chief Whip of the House, Hon Bawa Bwari presided with the Deputy Leader, Hon Gilbert Nnaji. After the presentation by Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili on due process where she denied that her office was responsible for the non-implementation of government policies because they delay clearances, the members were given an opportunity to express their reservations on the way the House was being run.
The first salvo which went to the House of the matter and probably impacting negatively on the quality of deliberations in the House was fired by Hon Binta Bebeji who pleaded that members no more be restrained from expressing their views on the floor of the house. According to her, parties and important personalities were exerting pressure on vocal members to stop speaking out and called for the reversal of the trend so that people can ay their mind and protect public interest. The import was not lost. That coming from a member means that the house was being gagged though she did not name the forces but the effect can be felt in the quality of deliberations.
"Members should be allowed to express their views. The practice of stopping them through the parties and other people should stop and that is the reason they call us names. Initially, we were allowed to express ourselves but after sometime, those who spoke were called and asked to stop contributing on the floor", she complained.
Hon I Akpana called for information on the policies of the House so that everybody should be carried along while the general spreading of information on central government policies should be made so that members would have a good grasp of it and able to explain to their people at the constituency levels.
Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Character, Hon Etim Bassey said that taking into consideration the gains of the retreat, there was need for the governors and the president to embark on similar programmes so that they will with good level of sincerity, implement government programmes and push the nation forward. He further submitted that there should be a well thought out programme that will ensure free flow of information from the center to the grass roots.
Hon Usman Bugaje, the House Committee Chairman on Foreign Affairs bemoaned that the superficial way that legislative debates were carried out did not ensure the best quality work from them. He advised members that they should refrain from rushing into the signing of treaties and conventions which most times are ratified before they were sent to the National Assembly. Bugaje opined that there should be enough time to understand the import of the clauses contained in such documents before they ratified them, adding that they were giving the impression that they were looking for bills to pass and treaties to ratify. He counseled against being stampeded by any power into such ignoble acts.
He cited an example with the manner they passed the 2004 budget, saying that most people did not have time to read and make inputs while some of the inputs made were disregarded by the Appropriations committee with the effect that their work were jettisoned for the allotment of figures by those in the Committee who called the shots.
"Our passage of the 2004 budget was criminal. Only three lines of the budget were passed, the Recurrent, Capital and total figures, we did not know or consider the breakdown and application of allocation standards. I have spoken to several members on the budget and I am yet to see anyone who is happy with it. Our passage of that Appropriation Act was criminal; I think we should be more responsible in our legislative processes.
Former Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) National President, Dr. Asisi Asobie agreed with the position of Bugaje and cited an instance where a 500 page treaty of the World Trade organisation that was brought into the country during the General Sani Abacha regime in January 1995 and ratified the same day it was brought. The same document was said to have taken other countries not less than 26 months to ratify. He said that the country put pen to paper on treaties they were not familiar with its provisions, which could mean signing away the lives of people.
Members complained that since they came back from their first year recess, they are yet to get their constituency allowances, which was impeding their liaison with their constituencies. This brought to the fore the usual cash crunch that hits the Assembly intermittently until lately when bulk sum allowances ranging from N6.4 million for House members to N16 million to principal officers and members of the Senate were paid to them.
At the end, Hon Osita Izunaso who is also the House Committee Chairman on Housing and urban Development announced that the Communiqu� for the three day-retreat was ready. The items, which they said was the view from the Minna zone, which would be harmonized with those from Bauchi and Osogbo and a final one reflecting the position of the House, would be issued. Top on the list was the move for the financial autonomy of the House whereby they would be funded by first line charge and free them from the executive manipulation through starvation of funds when they fall out of line.
They were also for a continued cordial relationship between them and other arms of government; the attachment of revenue Bill to Appropriations Act they said should be made compulsory while civil society should be incorporated into the legislative process.
Other highlights of the document was the insistence that budgets be implemented while people oriented laws while the Appropriations Committee should relate well with other Committees.
They also called for action to be expedited on the code of conduct for members in order to prescribe ways that will ensure continued respect for them. They asked that the due Process office expedite action on clearances and certifications for government programmes to be executed on time.
The aside of the retreat was the attendance of the birthday celebration of General Ibrahim Babangida, which many still wonder how the date coincided with the retreat. Hon Ibom Irem Oka however swore that it was mere coincidence, pointing out that the retreat would have long held if not for the Shendam crisis in Jos , adding that Minna was not even considered before for the occasion until some governors declined their request for hosting the retreat.
However, a day to the date of the birthday, it had become public knowledge that the members were going there to have a handshake said to have been arranged by the State government. If the experiences garnered by the members and the points raised on what should be done to get it right in the legislature are put into practice, then a better legislative session is in the offing.
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