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There have been renewed concerns lately about the quality of men and women elected into the hallowed chambers of the Nigeria’s Senate, the country’s highest legislative assembly. The simple reason is this: some of them, by their conduct, actions and inactions including manner of speech, are anything but Distinguished, the precursor they affixed to their names.
The Senate, like its American version and the House of Lords of the Great Britain, is supposed to be an assemblage of the sage; men and women with wide experience and who indeed have made their marks in the wider society both in the national and international scenes. The actions and reactions of these men and women of dignity in internal security, anti corruption and overall administration of their nations serve as a mirror/lubricant in which their nations glide.
Sixty years ago, countries like Singapore, Brazil, South Korea, Malaysia, India etc were at the same socioeconomic realm with Nigeria in terms of sharing a space in the third world platform. But today, these nations are far off from the standpoint where Nigeria stands as some of them are even being mentioned as advanced nations.
The United States Senate guides the President and indeed the nation on US’s democracy. It confirms and disapproves any treaty the President negotiates with other countries and also confirms or disapproves Presidential appointments to confirm with the US Constitution. Without being biased, the US Senate holds trials for federal officials who commit crimes and thus helps unabashedly in the running of the affairs of the United States.
Similarly, the House of Lords, even though it is seen as the second chamber, shares the task of making and shaping laws and checking and challenging the work of government. All these lead to a house standing in gap for good governance and protection of the citizenry.
But the situation is different in Nigeria’s political landscape. Our Senators are either arrested for corrupt practices or alleged to be encouraging terrorism. Today, insecurity has decked the length and breadth of nation’s landscape with none of our leaders appearing to have any idea on the roadmap to security. Instead, some of them dwell on innuendos and gibberish that retard development instead of finding solutions to the current state of insecurity in our land.
How would one comprehend a situation where Senator Smart Adeyemi, a supposed Distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic will descend so low to posit an un-parliamentary comment to the effect that “Abia is governed by drunkards?”. The comment as nasty and capricious as it leaves one wondering if Nigeria is getting it right in its legislative business.
That it caused uproar and a mild drama in the Hallowed Red Chamber showed the level of debasement Smart Adeyemi has gone in uttering the unwarranted comment at the Red Chamber.
Adeyemi’s tirade was in response to a social media post he claimed was made by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South). But because of the level and quality of his personality, Adeyemi didn’t bother to investigate whether Abaribe posted the alleged disparaging comment in the social against the Kogi State governor; Yahaya Bello whom Adeyemi serves with the equanimity of his heart or was he erroneously tagged by a social media commentator before dishing out his uncouth gibberish on the Abia governor, Okezie Ikpeazu.
However, to the shame of the brat who represents Kogi West, Abaribe swiftly rose in the Red Chamber to deny the comment, saying that he neither cast any aspersion on Yahaya Bello, no made disparaging comment on him. A social media commentator, he posited, just tagged him (Abaribe) in the post. For this reason, Smart Adeyemi has danced naked in the public arena. His unguided comments on a governor that has raised the bar in governance in Abia, gives Smart Adeyemi out as a Senator without scrupulous and sagacity.
Therefore, he shouldn’t be in the Senate which is supposed to be peopled with men and women of intelligence, dignity and honour. He indeed has an identity crisis which debars him from identifying and focusing on the right battle.
This is a politician whom the people of Kogi West rejected at the polls and it took the combination of Kogi State and federal governments’ political and security machineries to bring him into the Red Chambers. It is worth stating that Adeyemi has ignobly submitted himself beyond the dictates of his political masters. At times, political thugs go beyond their briefs and in the bid to impress their masters, they attack the wrong target. And that’s exactly what Adeyemi achieved by his vicious vituperations on Governor Ikpeazu.
Adeyemi had said that while some governors were committed to the welfare and protection of their people, Abians “are governed by drunkards. Despite that some governors are doing their best, we are lucky to have a governor who has taken the issue of security as a serious priority”.
Between Abia and Kogi States which state is better governed? It is on record that two years ago, Kogi governor couldn’t pay salaries of workers for 24 months and it took the intervention of the federal government to bail the state out so that APC would not lose the election in the state. State of infrastructure is almost at zero level; quality education is at the lowest ebb, while the health sector is at its disastrous ebb. Till date, Yahaya Bello, Kogi State governor, doesn’t believe that COVID-19 exists.
That’s the person Smart Adeyemi is defending to the point of committing a political hara-kiri; what a shame! His angst was because Abaribe has harped on the state of insecurity nationwide (Kogi State inclusive) in the floor of the Senate as the ruling APC has proved to have no idea on how to contain it.
Shockingly, Adeyemi did not bother to ascertain from Abaribe if he sent the offending post against his master, Yahaya Bello or not, but decided to dance naked in the public space. That decided to rant invective and uncomplimentary remarks on the urbane, polished, result-oriented, highly focused and performing governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu PhD, is to say the least irresponsible and unbecoming of a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Governor Okezie Ikpeazu is neither a Senator or part of the fray.
From available records, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu is not in the habit of drinking alcoholic beverages and does not engage in radical or rascal misdemeanors. His focus is on governance. In fact, he once remarked jokingly that while others engage in face book, he himself is facing the work assigned to him by God and Abia electorates. On this premise, we want to encourage the governor not to be distracted or relent in the infrastructural revolution ongoing in the state.
The statesmanship displayed by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan during this irrational outburst by Smart Adeyemi in the Hallowed Red Chamber should be commended. It should be noted that Senator Lawan rose to the occasion by cautioning this rascal brat against his spurious and wilful attack our able governor. We therefore ask Smart Adeyemi to render an unreserved apology to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu forthwith.
Dr George Njoku, President
Hon Chukwuma Onyeze, Secretary
Defenders of Democracy Abia (DDA)
Uche Nwosu is a two time Shell Petroleum PLC award winner in the year 2000;
He won the Shell Award on Investigative Journalism and Environmental Cleanliness.
