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Will Opara’s promise move Isoko from dark edge?
By Uchenna Awom
National
Assembly Correspondent,
Abuja
Austin Opara, Deputy Speaker of the House of
Representatives, took the centre-stage most part of last week, not only because
of the chieftaincy title bestowed on him by his community, the Ikwere people of
Rivers State, but because of some very salient and pertinent issues he raised
in yet another occasion where another community, this time, the Uzere people in
Delta State found him worthy to be conferred with another title.
Opara, who was practically dragged to the community by their
representative in the House of Representatives, Leo Okuweh Ogor, did not say
what has not been said by several people in and outside the Niger Delta region
before, but what apparently made his assertion different was the firm
commitment he made to the people. He had told the audience that included the
Chief of Defence Staff, General Alexander Ogomudia, that since Ogor had
troubled him so much about the poor electricity situation in the entire Isoko
Federal Constituency, the people should hold him (Opara), Ogor, the Chairman of
the Committee on Niger Delta, Olaka Nwogu and by extension the CDS responsible
if they fail in ‘his promise’ to factor the provision of a 132 KVA
power station for the community in the 2005 budget, specifically in the Niger
Delta Development Commission (NDDC) budget.
Well, that was Opara’s promise to a hapless community.
But not done, the youthful politician went protesting. He told the appreciative
audience that he was appalled by the deteriorating situation in the Niger Delta
region, including the devastation, neglect, crises and the near abandonment of
the people. He asked no one in particular what the Niger Delta people have done
wrong to warrant such treatment, despite its contributions to the Nigerian
project and its economic development.
To Opara, the degrading situation was made manifest with the
gas flaring right at the back of the CDS residence in Uzere. If the CDS, he
said, can be subjected to such environmental harassment, then it is better
imagined what would happen to the ordinary and in fact impoverished people of
the Niger Delta. The region, he said, has contributed so much and will continue
to contribute to the wealth of the nation, but the people will continue to
press for a better deal in a more descent and constitutional manner.
Isoko, Opara noted, is one of the communities that account
for most of the onshore crude oil exploitation with little or nothing to show
for it, adding that it is qualified to be paid special attention to by the
government. As if to underscore his assertion, somewhere in Ozoro, the people
converged at the residence of their representative, Ogor, in anticipation that
the MTN booster station will be commissioned by the visiting Deputy Speaker.
But it was not to be as the event was shifted for the next day.
Such was the enthusiasm and great expectations of the people
from their political representatives, propping Ogor to threaten not to return
to his Abuja base unless the MTN GSM station is commissioned as he had earlier
promised his people that he will deliver on this. He too bemoaned that his
community has been left in the lurch for a very long time despite being an
ancient kingdom that has remained peaceful in the face of the several
agitations by the youth of the region for a better deal.
With this background, do we now say that there is a positive
dimension to the gale of chieftaincy titles now being lavished on the House of
Representatives members? The House was virtually a ghost of itself to the
extent that it had to adjourn the plenary to attend to budget defences by the
ministries and agencies. Even at that, members again stormed Ile-Ife, Osun
State, to solidarise with Speaker Aminu Bello Masari, who was again honoured by
the Ife people. Members fell over themselves to attend these occasions at least
to be counted.
But then, most members said the honours are well deserved
coming at the time they came, not minding that the House had to literally shift
its plenary sessions momentarily to the venues of the event. Such situation,
they said, afforded the lawmakers the opportunity to gauge their acceptability
and to have first hand information of what goes on in other constituencies
other than their own.
Espousing this position, Ogor, who is the Deputy Chairman,
House Committee on Communications, said without the visit of the Deputy Speaker
and some members of the House, it would have been difficult for him to
appreciate the problems of the people and make such commitment, which will
remain indelible in the mind of the people. According to him, he has
practically turned to a beggar in the House on account of his moves for the
government to pay closer attention to the problems besetting Isoko people. So
it was not out of place if the House had to move its plenary to listen to the
people, through their traditional institution.
It is also not true, he said, that the House abandoned its
statutory functions to attend the chieftaincy ceremonies, because such is
legislative work by extension, being the representatives of the people.
“Example is the promise made by Opara to my people,
that a 132 KVA plant will be provided to provide constant power supply to
Isoko, which to me is an added job for me, as I will have to be following the
promise closely to see to its actualization,” he explained, adding:
“In that case, I see the one week recess and the
ceremonies as another form of constituency work, if not more than that, as the
lawmakers have to traverse other constituencies to give pep to their colleagues
from that constituency. After all, the promise made by Opara, who has been adjudged
by majority of my colleagues as a bridge builder, was not made to his people in
Rivers State, but to another constituency, which signifies that Nigerians can
live as one people if information filters through the right channels.”
Again, the storming of Ife by the Speaker, Ogor stated, was
another bridge building effort which will do the country good. Nobody in his
right senses will regard it as a jamboree. It was an effort that is now in line
with the tradition of the House to traverse the Nigerian terrains to preach
onenness and peace. This, he
Added, will also help in the fashioning of the 2005
Appropriation Act which was the principal reason why the House adjourned its
plenary session to December 14.
To corroborate Ogor, the House last week was engrossed in
the budget defence by the ministries and parastatals ahead of this week
resumption of plenary session. At the different committees, ministers and
director-generals were subjected to inquisition by the lawmakers on their
budget proposals. Though a yearly ritual, the exercise has not deterred the
government’s quest for supplementary budget mid-way into any fiscal
year.
The budget defence continues this week. Meanwhile,
congratulations to Opara and the Isoko community, hoping that the promise will
not go the way of many other political promises before it.
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