Obasanjo indicts state lawmakers over graft
- Tasks oil firms, host areas on peace
From Kelvin Ebiri, Port Harcourt
PRESIDENT Olusegun Obasanjo has blamed the inability of Houses of Assembly to independently and effectively perform their constitutional obligations for the high level of corruption allegedly being perpetrated by state executives.
There are many perceived abnormalities in the polity, the President said, pointing out that it had become necessary for the nation to return to the basics and redefine democracy to suit the Nigerian experience.
Opening the first conference of state legislatures yesterday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Obasanjo noted with dismay that while concerted efforts were being made at the federal level to combat the menace of corruption, the same was not being done in the states because of what he explicitly described as the beggarly attitude of most members of the Houses of Assembly.
Governor Peter Odili of Rivers State, Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, and House of Representatives' Speaker, Aminu Bello Masari accompanied the President to the venue of the conference.
Chairman of the Conference of Speakers, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, of Rivers State was also in the team that welcomed Obasanjo who said the beggarly action and inaction of the Houses of Assembly have not helped state governments to be accountable.
He accused them of behaving as though they were brought from the pit. The President alluded to the fact that the lawmakers have the constitutional obligation to call an erring executive to order, saying it had become imperative for them to stand up and do what was right.
Obasanjo stated that they could discharge their constitutional rights without necessarily being rude and disloyal.
He said: "May be if some of you at the state level have done what you should have done, maybe the level of corruption in the states should not have been what it has been. Your beggarly action and inaction do not help the executives at the state level not to be corrupt."
On the theme of the conference, "The role of state legislatures and the growth of democracy in Nigeria," the President said he was getting concerned that the nation's practitioners of democratic governance may have to redefine the concept of democracy and arrive at a common definition to suit the Nigerian experience. He noted that democracy means different things to different people.
Obasanjo explained that democracy must first be planted and nurtured before anyone could be talking about its growth.
According to him, only when this is done will it be possible to position the state legislatures for the role they crave to play in the consolidation of democratic governance which the conference was designed to achieve.
He pledged that he would not shy away from discharging this function for the welfare of the citizenry.
He said Houses of Assembly should accept responsibility what all that goes wrong in their states.
The Rivers House of Assembly speaker said the gathering was intended to serve as a veritable platform for state legislators to engage in meaningful dialogue in order to articulate views on issues affecting them and facilitate understanding of their crucial constitutional role to make laws for the peace, order and good government in the nation.
Amaechi noted that because the responsibility of ensuring the success of democracy was enormous, the body considered it its patriotic duty also to contribute ideas that would help to move the nation forward.
The conference, according to him, will create ideas on the making of high impact laws that would bring economic prosperity and social justice. He lauded the President for restoring democratic institutions in Plateau State.
Earlier, a Senior Special Assistant to the President, Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili, had delivered a paper on the imperative of due process in the country.
After her paper, many lawmakers accused the executive of being the problem of the nation's nascent democracy.
Also in Port Harcourt yesterday, Obasanjo said all stakeholders in the oil-producing Niger Delta have a responsibility to work towards the restoration of lasting peace in the area.
At a meeting with oil companies, traditional rulers, human rights groups, government officials, politicians and other stakeholders, he said the area was too crucial to the economy of the nation and the people to be left in turmoil.
He affirmed his belief that the oil firms and host communities could genuinely co-operate for peace in the area, pledging to intervene to ensure stability and unity in Rivers State in particular and the Niger Delta in general.
He enjoined Ogoni unity, and underlined the need for factions among the people to bury the hatchet. He also called for co-operation between the Ogoni and oil companies.
The President said he would ensure that this was done before he left office.
In a telephone chat last night, Shell Petroleum Development Company's (SPDP's) Director of External Relations, Precious Omuku, welcomed the President's call for reconciliation in Ogoniland "as part of a broader peace in the Niger Delta."
He said: "The company is committed to resolving its differences with the Ogoni and hopes today's (yesterday's) call will be an important step towards lasting reconciliation that will benefit all stakeholders."
He lauded Obasanjo for his intervention, adding that Shell looked forward to working with the Ogoni people, other stakeholders and the Presidency to make the initiative successful.
Shell stopped production in Ogoniland in 1993 following the crisis involving two rival groups. This has reportedly affected development in the area as derivation funds are based on oil output.
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