By Alex Adeiza.
Going thoroughfare down memory lane, without mincing words, the Confluence state has never been this placed on the fore of the heart of the people’s representatives. Since her creation, the three arms of the government piloting her affairs were either concerned about self aggrandizement to the detriment of the polity, or power drunk. Consequently, we never had it going down well for us in the state which has the potency of being categorized the best in Nigeria.
To every Kogite who has watched things unfold at every transition period, the coming of the 6th Assembly would best be tagged a continuity of where their predecessors hung it. Because Nigerians have been described as the most persevering entities, we accepted it all, just in line with Karl Marx who said that “the oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent them.”
For Kogi State 6th House of Assembly, the first year of legislation was a gloomy experience right inside the tunnel. This is very evident in the regrettable but a blessed crisis that engulfed the house in its first year of legislation. Regrettable because virtually the first year of legislation was one characterized by conundrums, giving the Executive arm an ample freedom to merry unchecked, and according the external devourers the opportunity to unnecessarily wade in to the affairs of the state. On the other hand, the crisis is a blessed one because it brought to limelight, an innate desire to provide a true representation we had longed for. More so, heroes and peace ambassadors got a New Direction spotlight on them.
How it happened that the various factions sheath their swords, made selfless sacrifices and went on a collective resolve to wake up from their slumber remain a great puzzle to Kogites, and possibly an unprecedented disappointment to those who were poised to increase the tempo of the drum of discord. More surprising, is the great feat the 6th Assembly has covered within a short period of time. I saw this coming when they resolved respectively to go on a legislative retreat in Lagos. I believe that is where they were legislatively baptized on fulfilling the great commission of legislation, representation and oversight. This is their own part of the assignment of state building, and they are delivering. In essence, this is a light at the end of the tunnel experience in the 1st legislative year.
It is no exaggeration setting the record straight that Kogi State has never been this fortunate to have quality legislation like the one emitting out of a renewed hallowed chamber of the State House of Assembly. I stand to be challenged by only those who will take a Tuesday walk to the complex to have a firsthand experience of what I lack the adjectival dictions to qualify. If not that by coincidence, the state has a governor who is loaded with the same zeal and spirit of developing the polity, the 6th Assembly would have graciously done the needful. And what is the needful? It is not necessary because by providence, the Governor Yahaya Bello led administration is a peculiar one, which has wielded the storm and is fully cruising in the New Direction. A piece for another time though.
Having been on the trail of each member of the 6th Assembly, I discovered that Motions of public importance have become a positive competition between the members at every point of plenary. Such competition is what we need even at the National Assembly, and the relevance to the woman selling garri in the village cannot be overemphasized. In essence, the 6th Assembly is ahead, and ahead.
This should be termed an incomplete script if it is yet to acknowledge the fact that there is a captain on the 6th Assembly ship. The one with the gavel, yet not distracted from giving a quality leadership position to the house, and laying the foundation of legislation for others to follow. Rt. Hon. Umar Ahmed Imam, the Speaker of the 6th Assembly, accepted the position with the concomitant responsibilities which humbled him the more.
And in his address on the 26th July, 2016, marking the commencement of the 2nd legislative session, a part which I can now see clearly, and will see in the coming years stated thus: “we are, thus, challenged to renew our resolve to the task of state building and to make certain that the new direction of this administration leads us to the transformative changes we all deserve in our socio-economic and political lives and in meeting the yearnings and aspirations of the great people of Kogi state.”
– Alex Adeiza, a public commentator writes from Okene, Kogi state.
