By Uchechukwu Okoroafor
The media was awash recently that president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and governors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have ended the prolonged speculations about the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
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It was gathered that Tinubu and the APC governors eventually endorsed former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, as the next president of the Senate.
Similarly, it was learnt that Senator Barau Jibrin, Kano North Senatorial District (North West) was picked as deputy president of the Senate.
Sources who should know among the members-elect of the 10th National Assembly further revealed that Tajudeen Abbass, representing Zaria federal constituency of Kaduna State (North West) also received the blessing of Tinubu as the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 10th Assembly.
The position of the deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives was given to the outgoing spokesman of the 9th Assembly, Benjamin Kalu, who represents Bende federal constituency of Abia State.
The much awaited zoning arrangement for the leadership of the 10th Assembly was made public at the end of an eight-man caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held in Abuja.
The meeting presided over by Tinubu also had the national chairman of APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu; APC’s national secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore; APC’s deputy national chairman, (North), Senator Abubakar Kyari and deputy national chairman (South), Chief Emma Eneukwu, in attendance. Also at the meeting were the president of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan; deputy president of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.
And on Monday, May 8, 2023, the National Working Committee of the APC formally addressed the press and confirm the emergence of Senate Akpabio, Senator Jibrin and Hon. Abbass and Hon Kalu as the party’s preferred Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively of the 10th National Assembly.
Most Nigerians were rooting for Kalu and had expected that Hon Benjamin Kalu would emerge the Speaker of the House of Representatives because of uncommon accomplishment in the House of Representatives.
There are several reasons why most Nigerians were rooting for him. It has to do with transparency, capacity and antecedent of the man who captured the imagination of Nigerians when as a rocky lawmaker moved the first motion of the 9 Assembly. He had announced his arrival at Abuja with a bang. Since then, he has never looked back. He has moved on to be recognized as one of the most effective lawmakers in Nigeria today with numerous awards to show for his hard work.
One of the remarkable achievements of Hon Benjamin Okezie Kalu in the House of Representatives is the creation of the ‘The Green Chamber Magazine’. It’s a rich magazine filled with a lot of content, bill tracking, activities of different constituencies, activities of the Speaker of the House to the Nation, all the Activities of the House well captured. It’s a beautiful project he captured for the House.
And to reach out to his constituents who sent him to represent them in Abuja, he initiated a Radio programme because it brings him closer to his people and helps him feel their pulse. He engaged with his constituents periodically, on a weekly basis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he created what he called Bende Parliament, where they have sitting three days a week to engage with constituents, listen to their questions on pressing issues and proffer possible solutions on the things we need to do. After the pandemic, he launched a radio programme that gave him the opportunity to speak to his people regularly. The Ben Kalu’s Mandate programme airs on five radio stations every Tuesday in Abia State. Constituents listen and call in to ask questions or provide feedback on his representation while he educates them on his activities in the House. This has helped him stay in line with fulfilling the mandate they have given to him. In addition, he also holds major Town Hall Meeting on the 29th of December annually, where he presents an annual report of his activities for the year and take a feedback report to plan his projections for the following year. This has helped him to represent his constituents better. How Hon Kalu is committed to offering his best for his constituents is exactly how he would be as speaker that would work for the best interest of all Nigerians.
In terms of infrastructure one of his biggest programmes were the Ecological Fund Project, approved by President Muhammadu Buhari in response to the first motion of the House, which he moved. This project runs into millions, and it is 98 percent completed. There is also the construction of bridges and roads to one of the largest communities in his constituency who have suffered and lost so my people due to the ecological menace they suffered. Achieving that remains one of his biggest projects; The Nkpa/Umuimenyi Ecological project involving bridges and road construction. It is a project that he has been very thankful to the Presidency, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Ecological Fund Office.
A lover of education Hon Kalu sponsored Federal College of Education Bende, (Establishment, etc.) Bill 2020. Kalu while expressing his delight on the success of this Bill stated that; “the importance of education in the society cannot be over-emphasized. It is important for a happy and stable life, for better income and livelihood and for social equality. Education makes a person self-dependent, turns dreams into reality and makes the world a better and safer place. There is no amount spent on education that is a waste.” He noted that Bende considering its size as the largest local government area in the South-East geo-political zone deserves to have the presence of a tertiary institution to serve the education need of the teeming youthful population, especially now that the need for well-trained educationists has risen accompanied with the need to fill the gaps created by both the consequences of brain drain and the lack of qualified educationists to provide quality training at all levels of education.
He was also instrumental to Nigerian Meteorological Agency Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019. In 2019, the bill to repeal the 2003 act was first read on the floor of the National Assembly on Wednesday 19th of July 2019 to provide for a more comprehensive legal and institutional framework for the regulation of meteorology in Nigeria.
The Internal Loans (Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Development) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was also his brainchild in the House. The Bill seeks to amend Internal Loans (Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Development) Act, Cap 119 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to ensure that the democratic structures in the State support any loan procurement process and to punish any violation accordingly. It is meant to bring transparency in the management of state loans is done more transparently and that state loans have the buy-in of the major stakeholders. It is yet another proof that Ben Kalu is a believer in transparency and accountability. It is also in the spirit of transparency that he pushed for the Official Secrets Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019. This Bill seeks to amend the Official Secrets Act, Cap. 03, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to provide for the deletion of certain provisions and the adjustment of certain penalties. It is also to bring the Act to be in tune with our present reality and delete obsolete sections.
It is without doubt that Hon Benjamin Okezie Kalu has demonstrated in his constituency and in the number of bills he sponsored as well as many others that he co-sponsored that he has the capacity, competence and commitment to do what is right always for the good of the generality of the people to be entrusted with speakership of the 10th House of Representatives.
He is therefore more than qualified to be the next Speaker, however the party is supreme. The same qualities that could have gotten him the Speaker is what landed Deputy Speakership position on his lap under the instrumentality of the President-elect Bola Tinubu and the leadership of the APC that reserved the position for South East under its zoning arrangement.
As a loyal party man which he has confessed severally, we have no doubt that Hon Kalu, who is ready to serve Nigeria with ‘his full chest’ in any capacity, will do what he knows how to do best; serve Nigerians with sincerity as the Deputy Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.