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Tuesday, June 29, 2004.
Mamora renders account to constituency
By Habib Aruna
Assistant Political Editor, Lagos
The beauty of representative
democracy as scholars of political science have always explained is that
it enables the electorate to constantly be in touch with their elected
representatives. More over, the bond between them is further tightened
with the availability of a forum where the various interests are
aggregated.
Though the infant stage of the nation’s
democratic process gives little room for re-emphasising the importance of
a regular meeting point between those elected to serve in the legislature
and their constituents, it is not however a bad idea for such a forum to
be initiated.
And that must have greatly influenced the
idea behind last week Lagos East Constituency Forum, an interactive
session organised by Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora to render account of his
stewardship at the Senate in the past year.
The forum that took place at the Lord’s
Club, Maryland, Lagos, attracted scores of party members, politicians and
notable leaders of the Alliance for Democracy (AD). It was indeed another
opportunity for the former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly
to be at the centre stage and to demonstrate his loyalty to the AD
leadership.
According to him, the forum is just to say
thank you to party leaders and to the residents in the District.
Mamora expressed his profound gratitude to
the party leaders for their trust in him and for electing him to be their
representatives at the country’s law-making body, adding that it is only
proper for him to come back and give account of his stewardship.
“I am your messenger”, said the senator,
“and if you have given me a message to deliver, it is only proper for me
to come back and give account. This forum is an opportunity for me to
give my feedback on the journey so far in the last year.”
While painting the picture of a lone
ranger, he told the gathering of the many difficulties he has had to
contend with in his one-year stay in Abuja.
Mamora lamented that coming from a
minority party, he has been prevented from moving motions on crucial
national issues. This, according to him, has impinged greatly on his
mission in Abuja. He however disclosed that he and other AD senators are
working on the unfair deal the state is currently getting from the
Federal Government and vowed to pursue it to a logical conclusion.
“What I consider most crucial about my job
is the bill on fiscal federalism. We have about six seaports in Lagos,
what are we getting from them? We should get something in return because
the ports operations create some discomfort to the infrastructure of the
state,” he said, adding that he is for now the only AD senator heading a
committee.
Mamora, who is the chairman of the Senate
Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, said he did
not regret the stand he took during the Senate debate on the imposition
of a state of emergency in Plateau State.
He said he was under intense pressure from
his colleagues but he vehemently stood his ground, because, according to
him, the imposition is contrary to the principles of the constitution.
And on the thorny issue of the new local
governments created by the state government, he said his efforts to move
a motion on the floor in that respect was blocked by the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP)-dominated Upper Chamber for obvious reasons.
“I had wanted to move a motion for the
National Assembly to recognise the new councils, because it is the
responsibility of the federal legislature to give effect to the
provisions of the Constitution compelling them to recognise the new
councils. This is what is stalling the whole thing,” he explained.
He however said he would not be deterred
in his efforts, adding that the struggle would continue. He reminded the
gathering that there was no time the state took the federal government to
court without coming out victorious.
In his remarks, AD State Chairman, Prince
Abiodun Ogunleye, said it was the way Mamora handled the legislative arm
in the first half of the current democratic process that made the
government to come out with many achievements.
“He is a real administrator. We recognised
the full co-operation he had with the executive. This is what prevented
the crisis that characterised the operations of most Houses of Assembly
from spreading to our state,” Ogunleye stated.
He noted that though it was not all rosy,
he insisted that the cooperation among the key political players in the
state is a sine qua non to development and growth. Besides, the AD leader
pointed out that Mamora contributed creditably to the return of Governor
Bola Tinubu at the last year’s election.
Even so, the party’s National
Vice-Chairman and Southwest Leader, Alhaji Olatunji Hamzat, in his
comment, painted the picture of how Mamora emerged as a senatorial
candidate, explaining that the party did not forget the effective way he
managed the affairs of House.
“We supported him because of his
commitment to the good governance of the state and he has elevated the
status of Lagos State to high heavens. He is so gifted, so respectful”,
said Hamzat who stated that the party had no regret about its decision to
send Mamora to Abuja.
Even then, the AD leader enjoined others elected on the party’s
platform to emulate Mamora by organising similar forum where, according
to him, the representatives meet their constituencies to render account
of their stewardship.
“I don’t know how many of you have gone to
your constituencies to render account. How many of you?” asked the AD
leader, adding: “This is the first time this kind of thing is happening
and anyone who has not done this should not expect re-election”, he
warned. He said the party leadership in the state is happy with what
Mamora has been doing.
He however reminded the federal lawmakers
that the party needs to be furnished with relevant documents on crucial
national issues to enable it make useful contributions to it.
Besides, Hamzat argued that he is not
convinced that the minority status of the AD members in the National
Assembly should prevent them from moving motions to further the interest
of the region, adding that they should force themselves in if the
traditional approach does not yield results.
Earlier, the governor who was represented
by his Political Adviser, Mr. Oyinlomo Danmole, toed the same line with
the previous speakers. He said the state is happy to have sent Mamora to
the Senate.
Though, according to him, AD is a minority
party, that has not prevented Mamora from making his mark at the Upper
Chamber, adding that the senator has always fought on the side of the state
government on fundamental issues.
“I want to thank you, especially your
doggedness to stand by the party and the government of this state. I also
want to thank you for this forum because this is the first of its type in
the state”, Danmole said. He stressed that the only way elected officials
can connect with their constituencies is to make themselves available at
every forum.
An important part of the event was the
question and answer session when Mamora answered series of questions put
to him by the audience, most of whom expressed their gratitude but at the
same time implored him to do more.
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