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 Daily
Independent Online.
* Friday, July 02, 2004.
Delta legislators and foreign jamboree -
rejoinder
Mr Bobson Gbinije’s write-up with the caption DELTA LEGISLATORS AND FOREIGN JAMBOREE,
published in The Pointer Newspaper of June 22, 2004 page 8, and Daily
Independent of June 21, 2004 page C3 made an interesting reading. But
it was interesting only to the extent that it contained tissues of lies
that bordered on an agenda to smear the Delta State House of Assembly and
mislead the Delta public. For Mr. Gbinije’s presumed knowledge, it is a
surprise that he chose to play to the gallery by needlessly lampooning
the Assembly’s programme of legislative strengthening part of which is
the study tour. This kind of
exchange/study tour is nothing new.
In fact it is part of the developmental programme of most
legislatures around the world.
Across Africa, Asia, Europe and America, legislative houses
periodically embark on study/exchange tours to develop peer contact,
exchange ideas and share experiences.
If Mr. Gbinije is truly informed, he ought
to have known this much. He
ought to know that apart from Federal legislators, Rivers, Lagos, Ondo,
Katsina, etc. Houses of Assembly have undergone one legislative visit or
the other. He ought to know
further that Edo, Bayelsa, Bauchi, etc. Houses of Assembly are in the process of proceeding on
such a study programme any moment from now. Countless foreign legislators, members of US Congress,
the British Parliament periodically visit African countries and Nigeria
to exchange ideas with various members of the legislature.
How come Mr. Gbinije does not realize the
need for legislative strengthening in Nigeria where the legislature is
easily the weakest arm of government due to its absence every time the
military intervened in government?
For not appreciating this basic fact it is all too obvious that
Mr. Gbinije is on some mischief and it is highly regrettable that some
supposedly articulate people like the writer will hold and canvass views
on the pages of newspapers that are expected of common folks who lack
sophistication and are in need of some education about the expediencies
of governance.
The Delta State House of Assembly earlier
visited Ghana which is an emerging democracy confronted by the same kind
of problems we currently face in Nigeria of which Delta is part. The House later visited the Virginia
House of Delegates, Richmond, Virginia in May, 2004. The exchange/study tour in
Virginia was not just confined to legislative engagements, it covered
executive and judicial workings of government. Virginia is the oldest democracy in America. The members are today better for
it from the information and ideas gathered, while there is now an
existing relationship between the Virginia Hose and Delta House of
Assembly which is expected to grow from strength to strength. As else where such tours are
funded by government and Mr. Gbinije ought to know the estacode payable
to government officials/civil servants when on foreign trip which should
give him an idea of what must have been spent by government. Even at that some of the legislative
strengthening programme of the House is about to be funded by USAID.
Additionally, can it be assumed that Mr.
Gbinije does not know that the House of Assembly like any legislative
House has its own rules of conduct and regulation a breach of which must
attract some sanction if the House is to maintain its balance and
integrity? The prerogative
to call its members to order when they err in conduct is that of the
House and it is not that can be impacted upon on the pages of newspapers
by hundreds of Gbinije’s
At the end of the day, what is obvious is
that Mr. Gbinije needs to verify his facts before embarking on a campaign
capable of unreasonably portraying the government or the House of
Assembly in bad light.
Gabriel Awodeha,
Chief Press Secretary to
the Hon. Speaker, Delta State
House of Assembly
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