How Performance Made Rt. Honourable Momoh Lawal Speaker, Kogi House of Assembly

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The impeachment of the former Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly, Honourable Abdullahi Bello on Tuesday 16th October 2012 and the unanimous resolution of the House that saw to the election of Rt. Honourable Momoh Jimoh Lawal as the incumbent Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly has been acclaimed locally, national and internationally as departure form an era of non-performance.

Today, the name of Rt. Hon. Momoh Jimoh Lawal has been printed in the history books as the number three in terms of hierarchy in the order of leadership in Kogi State. Before now, he was a key player in the politics of development of his Constituency. He is popularity known to have no boundary in the Kogi Central Senatorial District for his care and concern for the masses. He has severally been likened to Sir Aminu Kano of blessed memory, whose love for the masses knew no bound. This is not only because he is the law maker representing the people of Okene II in the Kogi State House of Assembly but because he has carved a niche for himself as a philanthropist per excellence and the promoter of his people’s welfare.

‘Kennedy’ as he is fondly called by his numerous admirers and supporters is a disciplined man that always pitches his tent on the side of truth, justice, equity, while defending the cause of the downtrodden, the oppressed and the marginalized.

As a detribalized Nigeria, a humanitarian to a fault and a man destine to tower wherever he finds himself, he has in the last one year proved himself to be a friend of the less-privileged and an emerging leader who is committed to the yearning and aspirations of his people.

When in June 2011 Rt. Honourable Lawal with other Honourable members of Kogi State House of Assembly took oath of office as members of the Kogi State House of Assembly, he promised not to disappoint the electorate, defend their interests and represent them adequately.

In fulfilling of his electioneering campaign promises, hardly had Rt. Honourable Lawal settled down to start making laws that will better the lives of Okene II Constituents in particular and Kogi State in general, he has recorded giant strides that will stand the test of time.

During one of his chats with journalists, he promised that his first year in the Assembly would be dedicated to the provision of key infrastructure. Water, they say is life. In an attempt to take life worth living for people in his constituency, he sunk ten (10) boreholes which are distributed around the four wards in Okengwe District. Before his election into the state legislative chamber, the perennial water crises in Ebira land made the people throng all the nooks and crannies of the land in search of water. Sensitive to the yearning and aspirations of the electorate, he addressed the problems headlong and the peoples are now better off for it.

Another giant stride recorded by Rt. Honourable Lawal is the provision of electricity for the people who elected him as legislator. Conscious of the fact that without power supply, industrial activities as well as small and medium scale businesses could not thrive, he requested form government on behalf of his people for four transformers and got two which are today installed in Abuya and Ageva communities. Other legislators who requested for same only got one or none at all. It should be on record that it was his doggedness and determination to make life better for the electorate that made him get those two transformers through which power is now accessed to run businesses and eke their livings.

Undoubtedly, a hungry man is an angry man. It is also a fact that it is in an unemployed and idle man’s mind that the devil’s pranks thrive. Against this background, Rt. Honourable Lawal took bold steps to empower his people by facilitating the employments of seven of them into the Okengwe General Hospital and ten at the new public cemetery, Okengwe as staff members and security guards. It is to be noted that the legislator took it upon himself to be paying salaries of the seven people employed at the hospital from his purse pending the time that government talks over the payment.

It is out of contention that Rt. Honourable Lawal has a golden heart which is full of compassion for the less-privileged and people who fell victim of natural disasters. This is as attested to during a terrible rain storm that dealt devastating blows to people of the Central Senatorial District of Kogi State. Swiftly, he donated about 100 roofing sheets to the rainstorm victims and visited the victims while donating relief materials to each of them.

Besides, when a mysterious fire gutted the Bariki and Manaka Markets in Ebira land, he was on hand to give succor to the victims. He dolled out hundreds of thousands of naira to assist those who lost unquantifiable properties and money. He did this even before presenting the matter before the state government for relief assistance.

The two examples above portray uncanny act of governance. He is simply building a brilliant political future as a leader who knows the pains of his people and cares for them.

Being a man at home with nature and has unquantifiable love to preserve it, he commissioned the fencing of Apassi Spring to the delight and great joy of his people. Pre the fencing , the natural spring which supplied the people water when he was young has become desolate due to the unwholesome activities on it.

Kennedy is not unmindful of the fact that the youths are our future leaders and by extension, they must be well groomed through good education and upbringing before they can be given the mantle of leadership. It is on this ground that he gave scholarship to no fewer than 50 indigent students in his constituency.

A cursory look at his score card as a lawmaker speaks volumes. While many a law maker only goes to the House to make money and convert constituency allowances for projects into selfish use, Rt. Honourable Lawal on his own busied himself with learning about his people’s pains and deprivations. Based on the concern he has for his people, he has been sponsoring motions to improve the wellbeing of the electorate.

Political pundits have postulated in the past that one main factor or ingredient of political uplift while holding an office is playing politics of development. That is putting the people first in terms of democratic development.

First, at the renewed threat and provocation of Okpella Community of Edo State against the Ogunda farmers in Kogi State, Rt. Honourable Lawal sponsored a motion on the need to call on the government of Edo State to curb the unwarranted trespasses of its people on Oguda Farm Centre in Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State. It was this courageous and intelligent steps taken by Rt. Honourable Lawal, that doused the volatile and explosively dangerous situation.

Again, when there were frequent strange night killings of traditional rulers and important personalities in the district, Rt. Honourable Lawal also sponsored a very good and time motion on the need to arrest the incessant strange night killings in the Central Senatorial District of Kogi State.

As a result of the motion he sponsored, a ban on night motorbike commercial operators was imposed on the community to check the activates of night marauders and the merchants of death. He joined in the vanguard of advocating the disarmament of youth gangs and individuals with criminal propensity, just as he spear headed the initiative for the formation of vigilante groups in the various wards, neighbourhood and quarters in his constituency. His suggestion went a long way to help in returning normalcy to the communities.

Also, when there was a fire disaster at Manaka Market, he made a report titled: report on occurrence of fire disaster at Manaka Market, Idoma in Okengwe/Obehira District of Okene LGA with an appeal for aid to the Igbo traders whose shops and properties were destroyed.

Not satisfied with the condition of Okengwe, Udianeche, Inozi-Imoga road and that of Okengewe Ere-Imoga roads, he sponsored different motions on the floor of the House on the need for the importance of the roads and appealed to the state government to rehabilitate the roads. Based on these motions, Okengwe-Ere-Imoga road received government notice only after Rt. Honourable Lawal succinctly argued on why the road should not be neglected. His efforts were geared toward assisting farmers and traders who ply the route for their economic wellbeing.

It was his commitment to making life better for his people that made him sponsor a motion to appeal to the state government to provide transformers for Ageva, Otoyi, Ozuja-Ohunda, Ozuja-Uvete and Upogoro Uvete communities in Okene II Constituency. His efforts yieleded fruits as he was given two transformers.

The above are not just rhetoric to deceive the reading public regarding Rt. Honourable Lawal’s achievement but to put on records nad commend the efforts put in place within one year in office. Attesting to this fact was the District Head of Okengwe Community, Alhaji Muhammed Aliyu (Anaje) who was interviewed by our correspondent.

According to him, Rt. Honourable Lawal, popularly called Kennedy, has done a lot for the electorate in his constituency.

Through him, he disclosed, this community now has two transformers that make us access electricity regularly just as he has installed a number of boreholes that now provide water for us.

“Gone are the days we lived in total darkness and suffered for lack of portable water. Today, we are happy, courtesy of Kennedy”, he added.

“The General Hospital in Okengwe belongs to the State Government. The hospital has no cleaner and night guards but he went ahead to employ about seven people and has been paying their salaries from his purse” the District Head disclosed.

Above all, he explained, Rt. Honourable also employed two persons each for the public cemetery in Obehira and Okengwe to take care of them in addition to other things he has been able to do.

Onogumvo Obanyi of Ebira land who is the grandfather of the lawmaker, Alhaji Abubakar Umar, described the achievements of the lawmaker in the last 12 months as commendable, reiterating that he has sunk boreholes to alleviate the water problem of his people.

When the former Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly was impeached and the politics of who becomes the new Speaker became tensed, his performance and hard work saw the other member rooting for him for the office. The constituencies considered for the office of the Speaker was Okene II, Adavi and Okehi since Ogori-Magongo already produced the Secretary to the State Government.

Despite intense lobbying and permutation, the majority of members gave preference to Rt. Honourable Momoh Jimoh Lawal, using his previous performance as a spring board.


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