Nigeria must realise its potentials, Lumumba tasks National Assembly

Director of Kenya School of Law, Prof Patrick Lumumba, on Tuesday, tasked members of the National Assembly on the need to change the negative narratives about the Legislature by ensuring that Nigeria realizes her potentials.

Prof Lumumba, who gave the charge in Abuja at the unveiling of the ‘Green Chamber Magazine’ initiated by the 9th House of Representatives, however, frowned at the level of the misconception of the role of the Legislature across Africa continent.

In his keynote address, Prof Patrick Lumumba, who acknowledged the resolve of the 9th Assembly to renew the contract with Nigerians, harped on the need for the House to serve the citizens meritoriously by providing quality leadership.

“We live in a continent where many people misunderstand the roles and functions of legislators. We live in a continent where legislators are measured by the number of funerals that they attend; where the efficacy of legislators is measured by the number of weddings they attend; where their significance is measured by the number of men and women that they support on the day of their wedding.

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“And, therefore, we live in a continent where the legislator is misunderstood; where legislators are not called and expected to perform their traditional functions. And that is why the launch of a magazine such as this speaks to the demands of a nation such as Nigeria and I dare say many African countries.

“I cannot remember but I know there is an African saying, that as long as lions do not have their historians, it is the exploit of the hunter rather than the bravery of the lion that will be talked about. Today, you have decided to tell your own story, that you may not be misunderstood.

“When in 1960, there was an explosion of independence, we were hounded in many ways and many institutions were imposed on us. We were told that African countries, having regained their independence, had to embrace democracy. We were told that democracy is a government of the people, for the people and by the people.

“We were told that we would have representative democracy. We were told then that you honourable members of the House of Representatives represented us. We were told then that you were our servants and for a long time, we believed that you were our servants.

“But over the years, things did change and we started believing that you are no longer our servants and that you have become our masters, and therefore even when you claim to represent us in many African countries, and you remind us that you are our servants, we do not believe you because it is the newspapers that are left to say what you say. Because it is the televisions and the newscasters that are allowed in their jaundiced way to tell us what you represent.

“I read your great founding leaders. I read the works of Nnamdi Azikiwe and I listened to him in those early days. He was as eloquent as he was passionate in telling Nigerians and Africans – because he was called the Zik for Africa – that leadership is about service. This magazine is an occasion for you to demonstrate to Africa that you are servant-leaders. I did not only read about Nnamdi Azikiwe, I also read about Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa in his younger days – eloquent and passionate about Nigeria.

“You may not have agreed with all that he said and did, but you cannot deny the fact, the clarity of vision and the need for marshalling the people as the only antidote the problem that has afflicted Nigeria, and by extension Africa. I did not stop at merely listening to Tafawa Balewa, I also had the occasion of listening to the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello.

“Whether you like him or not, the clarity and the passion with which he spoke about his country was as sterling as it was titillating. You are the successors of those great leaders, the question that you must ask yourself, and this is a personal question. Now that you have been given the honour and privilege of serving Nigeria, now that Nigerians and Africans refer to you as honourable members, the question is: are you honourable members or horrible members? The question as to whether you are honourable members is determined by the service that you render to the people,” Prof Lumumba stressed.

Also speaking, President Muhammadu Buhari described the newly unveiled magazine as a trailblazer’ that will go a long way in bridging the information gap between the House and the public.

President Buhari, who was represented by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed observed that: “Prior to the birth of this magazine, information about the activities of the House of Representatives, including sponsored motions, bills passage and committee assignments, is obtained mostly from what is reported in newspapers, the electronic media and the new media. In some cases, such information is distorted, leading to the poor perception of lawmakers and what they do.

“However, the Green Chamber Magazine, which is being launched today, will correct any distortion and become the authoritative voice of the House. Access to correct information will not only burnish the image of the House, it will also illuminate the great work that members are doing in the House, including the enormous work that goes into the passage of a bill as well as committee duties.

“Hitherto, the public perception of the National Assembly is that of a bicameral legislature where overly comfortable and highly-overpaid members merely stuff wads of currency notes into their pockets for little work done. This wrong perception has resulted partly from the lack of understanding of the enormous work of lawmakers, especially outside the glare of television cameras.

“But with a magazine that will be the authoritative source of anything that goes on in the House – motions being moved, bills being passed, national issues being discussed and constituency projects – the public will be better informed on the activities of the House, and this will, in turn, reflect in an improved public perception,” Buhari posited.

On his part, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, acknowledged the support offered by dedicated media professionals; men and women who possessed incredible talent and abundant courage, risked life and limb to tell stories that exposed malfeasance and abuse and held the powerful to account.

“I can say with absolute confidence, that this our democratic settlement could never have been achieved without the noble daring of the press. Those unsung heroes who understood the power of the written word and wielded it in passionate denunciation of the tyranny that sought to consume us all.

“I am now, as I always have been, a passionate believer in the value of a free and unfettered press. I am also, am unrepentant advocate of quality and honest journalism. Today, there are others, who have themselves discovered the power of the word to inform and enlighten, to motivate and inspire, and have continued in that noble tradition of holding the powerful to account,” the Speaker noted.

He, however, frowned at the practice of those people who used the media to elevate the voices of charlatans, and digital arsonists who exploit the democracy of the internet to spread fake news for clicks and profit and in service of base agendas.

While assuring that the magazine would provide a platform for accountability, Hon Gbajabiamila maintained that “public service always benefits from being held to impartial account. Any public service conducted in secrecy is suspect.

“The vision for the Green Chamber Magazine is that through this platform, the 9th House of Representatives may contribute to the enthronement of a journalistic tradition that is grounded in the ideals of honest reporting and focused on making real the old promise of open government.

“Therefore, I want all of reporters, researchers, writers and contributors who will work to produce this magazine, to go out there with the absolute mandate to seek truth without fear, to exercise good judgement always, and to act continuously in the best interests of the Nigerian people,” he said.