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By Femi Olugbemi.
It is exactly one year today that fate beckoned on the Rt Hon Prince Matthew Kolawole when majority members of the Sixth Assembly on the 3rd day of August, 2017, unanimously elected him as the 12th Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly following the resignation of the former Speaker, Rt Hon Ahmed Umar Imam.
His emergence as Speaker of the Sixth Assembly made him the first representative from Kabba/Bunu State Constituency and indeed Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency to occupy the exalted position at the State Assembly.
His election as the 12th Speaker of the Assembly was greeted with great excitement from his constituents considering the enormous opportunities imbedded in the office.
Immediately he came on board, he announced his readiness to operate an open door policy and promised to carry along his members irrespective of their party affiliations in order to stabilize the crisis ridden Assembly for the progress of the state.
Rt Hon Prince Matthew Kolawole came on board with leadership of simplicity, meekness, humility and above all hard work that has propelled the legislative arm in the state to enact laws for the overall development of the people.
Since he emerged, he has consistently called on members to come up with motions and bills that are germane to the wellbeing of the people and the stimulation the economy of the state.
He emphasized the importance of oversight functions to members and made same a priority. This was demonstrated through the Local Government Areas tour the sixth Assembly embarked upon before the long recess commenced in June.
Being a hard working legislature with the tenacity to promote peace and tranquility, he has continued to charge the people of the state to cooperate and support the current administration under the leadership of Governor Yahaya Bello for the state to witness unparalleled development in all sectors of the state.
However, it is also good to note that under his leadership the welfare of the members has greatly attracted enhanced attention as that has further boosted the productivity of the assembly in moving motions with resolutions passed promptly.
In one year, over 7 bills has been passed into law, among which is, Administration of criminal Justice bill, Traffic laws bill, Contributory Pension bill, 15 clauses of the 1999 Constitution Alterations bill which granted the State Assembly Autonomy, the Not too Young to Run among others; some of which have been signed into law by the President.
About 16 bills have gone through various stages of legislation including the critical stage of public hearing to allow the input of stakeholders and the people, waiting to be passed into law in soon.
It is a known fact that under his well thought out agenda to reposition the sixth Assembly for effective and efficient service delivery, he has ensured members attend specialized workshops, seminars and conferences locally and internationally to enhance their capacity to deliver quality legislation for the State.
This singular gesture has attracted the attention of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, (CPA) Africa region which made him to be appointed as an Executive Committee member representing the North Central Nigeria of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) aside other awards and recognitions bestowed on him for a job well done.
His leadership has also strengthened the working relationship with the Executive and the Judiciary, in tandem with the separation of powers principles for the benefit of the state.
In his words, ‘we are not elected to be engaging in physical combat but rather we are elected to represent our people in lobbying for their well-being for the progress of all. We will continue to engage and lobby when necessary for the people’
This is part of his motivation to always go all out for the legislative arm to be well positioned to discharge it’s constitutional responsibility to the people, since the arm is the most critical and closest to the grassroots.
In summary, the leadership of Rt. Hon. Matthew Kolawole as the 12th Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, has engendered hard work, promoted cordial working relationship between the other arms of government, improved the welfare of members and staff of the assembly, and above all, he has brought onboard meekness, humility and simplicity to bear as a leader.
While in his personal capacity as the Speaker, he has been able to give back to his constituency and having the understanding that he represents the senatorial districts at the state level, he spread the appointments accrued to his office among the local government areas that make up of the district.
Also from his merger resources, he employed well over 100 youths across his constituency who currently enjoy monthly stipends.
He has at one time or the other embarked on empowerment programmes geared towards giving back to the people among which is the Widows, Market men and women empowerment programme, school support initiative wherein over 350 students benefited, aside 300 students who are currently on his scholarship scheme, Quiz and Debate competition, employment into state and federal civil service.
Currently, 152 youths are undergoing training in different trades at the Kabba Development Union (KDU) Skill Acquisition Center in collaboration with the National Directorate of Employment, (NDE). The trainees will be graduating in September and each of them will be empowered with the tools or equipments of their chosen trade.
In one year, Rt Hon Prince Matthew Kolawole has been able to distinguish himself as a dependable leader who has endeared himself not only to the members of the 6th Assembly but also the staff of the assembly, political associates, his constituents, and above all the entire state and the country at large.
His records have shown his capacity to deliver, no wonder majority of his constituents and party members are seriously working and clamouring for his return come 2019.
Going forward, the Speaker has reiterated his commitment to continue to provide purposeful leadership for the legislative arm of government in the state, urging the people to continue to cooperate and support the new direction administration under the leadership of Governor Yahaya Bello, as that will enable him perform beyond expectations.
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