Letter to Distinguished Senators-Elect of the 8th National Assembly

As I was just putting pen on paper for this page, I received this letter from a group of young persons, the Nigeria Youth Initiative Forum, NYIF, pleading for attention and in response to similar topics on this page. So, I decided to publish their "Letter to Senators-elect of the 8th National Assembly", verbatim, since it synchronises with our philosophy of service to the people. "Distinguished Senators-elect, please accept our heartfelt congratulations on your well-deserved victory at the polls. With your hard earned victories, the change we desired, the changed we clamoured for, the real transformation for which millions of Nigerians trudged the bushes and tarmac during the campaigns has finally arrived.

Nigerians have, in deed, put in place a responsible leadership in the executive arm of government. As President Muhammad Buhari starts the unenviable and arduous task of rebuilding this nation, our prayers is for him to be guided by the hands of God to the harbour of success. The inauguration of the executive arm having been completed, attention naturally shifts to you, men of honour and integrity and members of the legislative assembly which should convene for inauguration on June 9, 2015. Just as we needed to put a responsible leadership in place at the executive arm of government, it is imperative we do the same in the legislative arm to avoid creating any leakage for the Buhari’s administration in its avowed bid to bring real change to the nation. It is expedient to emphasise that you are all noble men having been trusted by Nigerians at this hour of transformation in our quest for sustainable economic growth and stability. Though elected on the platform of your various parties, who saddled with the same responsibility of making the country much enabling for all to maximise our God endowed potentials. We therefore hold all who have indicated interest in contesting for various leadership positions in the 8th National Assembly in very high esteem. But in the current struggle for the position of Senate President our Association at the last Assembly has endorsed Senator Bukola Saraki, CON. Our choice to stand by his aspiration and pursue same within all bounds of the law and rules of decency does not arise from any extraneous factor but stemmed from our understanding of his person, and especially his intellectual shrewdness. This is not about politics or politicking. As a matter of fact, the moment we turn the election of the leadership of such a sensitive arm of government into matters of politicking at the expense of other critical factors, it will create an unnecessary imbalance in the scheme written in the heart of Nigerians for the transformation of the country. Thus, unlike what some commentators have said, the election into the senate leadership is not about politics or an individual ambition or ego. It is rather about the future of our fledging democracy and democratic etho. It is about the Nigerian masses and their destinies. These are the reasons why Nigerians across political divide are in one accord searching for the best hand for the exalted office. Expectedly, ?there might have been differences in opinion on who gets what or how to arrive at that goal, which is allowed in every progressive society and a major hallmark of a truly progressive society, the issue at hand is about competence. It is about having someone who can build and sustain the relationship among the various interests that make up the national assembly and the wider Nigerian political landscape which are linked with the activities of our legislature. And without being immodest, these two key areas are the strong points of Senator Bukola Saraki, CON. We have monitor Sen. Saraki's political progression as a Governor, Chairman, Nigeria Governors' Forum and Senator, especially as Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, and we can say without mincing words that he stands as one of the greatest Nigerians of his days. Indeed, he towers above his competitors in all sense of fairness. As a two-term governor of Kwara state, he built two institutions; one an enduring system of government that has become a role model to several others across the country and two, a formidable political structure that can continuously produce competent men and women that will sustain the system of government. Until this month for instance, Kwara has not owed its workers, despite a very lean allocation from the federation account while other states, with much buoyant economy, have been owing for months. The secret is in the system that Saraki built which the current administration of Gov Ahmed inherited and have been consolidating upon. The political structure emphasises competence, transparency, frugality and focus on the interest of the common man. When he was Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), he transformed the body to an institution that could shape the polity for the betterment of the common man by introducing a peer-review mechanism among states of the federation irrespective of the political parties in any state. He gave the Forum a much needed voice and every member of the Forum cooperated with his leadership notwithstanding their different political platforms because he is a true bridge builder. When he was appointed chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, he similarly transformed the committee into an award winning body with international recognition. That is competence; the same competence he had demonstrated in his career as a banker and politician. The Distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki, CON is a man of courage, just like most the incoming Senators. It takes courage to have stood the G7 and then the nPDP when he had no immunity from any form of prosecution unlike the sitting governors leading the agitation. He openly challenged and condemned the impunity in the then ruling party and pointed attention of its leaders to the grave dangers and failures awaiting the party if the errors being pointed out were left uncorrected. Not because he loathed the then President having worked for his success, but because he loved the party and wanted its success. Though he was lampooned and derided, but at the end of the day, his prediction came to pass. It takes courage and concern for the welfare of Nigerians and the wellbeing of our nation for him to have raised the motion against the corruption in the fuel subsidy regime on the floor of the senate. Again, he was lampooned and derided but we are all witnesses to the reality today where despite trillions of naira allegedly spent on subsidy for petrol, the average Nigerian can still not get the product easily or at stipulated price. We need a man of competence to work with President Muhammad Buhari. We need a bridge builder to navigate the political floor of the senate. We need a compassionate man to lead lawmakers to frame laws and oversee policies that will better the lot of the ordinary Nigerian. That man, who has been tested and tried in Kwara state as governor for eight years, who has been tried and tested as NGF chairman, who has demonstrated skills and competence at the senate, who is a friend of the rich and the poor, who is bold enough to speak truth to authority, is Distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki, CON. As Distinguished Senators enter the hallowed chamber of the 8th National Assembly tomorrow our prayers to them, is that they cast their votes for competence and result-oriented leadership. Please, Distinguished Senators, vote for Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, vote for competence." Oba, the Chief Press Secretary to Gov Abdulfatah Ahmed, writes via e-mail: abdulwahaboba@gmail.com)