The Senator representing, Edo South Senatorial District and Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Account, Senator Matthew Uhroghide has said the 10th National Assembly will suffer loss of Institutional memory,as many members of the National Assembly with wealth of experience and knowledge in lawmaking will not return to the assembly, having lost their re-election bids in their various states.
Senator Uhroghide, who made the revelation in his chart with journalists in Benin City,Edo State,said,state governors are part of problem in Nigeria as they want to control the president,the National Assembly, the State Assembly and the Local Government Councils.
“Let me say this, parliament all over the world is driven by knowledge,it is a repository of knowledge and you get better in the business of lawmaking and other legislative activities the more you stay there. Whether in parliamentary or presidential system. It is driven by experience.
“That is why the number of time you come in there, ranks you. Whatever laws made for good governance in the land is from the parliament,it is not cooked overnight. It is there you have the true representatives of the people.
“Unfortunately,If you keep taking people out of the National Assembly and keep feeding in new people. What happens to Institutional Memory? The way we did it yesterday will be lost. Nobody will ensure continuity. Nobody can say we did it like this yesterday. This is the result we got,let do it differently today.
“There are going to be learning process at any point in time. Since,I got to the Senate about 8years ago,put it conservatively. I have been trained up to 20 times outside the shores of this country. What happens to the experience? Because the training I have received is not transferable. Virtually all of us, particularly from the states where there is in- fighting, rivalries are not coming back. Today, as we speak,less than 20 percent of senators will coming back to the Senate. It is a huge loss to this country.”
He also said the state governors are part of problem in Nigeria as they want to control the President,the National Assembly, State Assembly and the Local Government Councils.
“The state governors are major problem as they want to control the President,the National Assembly,the State Houses of Assembly, and the Local Government Councils. I believe they don’t understand their roles in democracy. If there is any parameters to judge what they have done in the states, very few governors will pass. The development of a state is multi faceted,it is not just the number of roads you tar that determine whether you have done well or not. What about the human capital development ? What about the different sectors of our economic life and the lives of our people? The man that you are building roads or bridges for,how have you developed him,so that he can fend for himself and his family? You must develop the man in totality.
“To know the quality of development in the states,let go to the State Assembly to know how accountable they are.
“The National Assembly can still talk to the President, but how many members of the state assembly can raise their voices to the governors. The governors are stepping beyond their boundaries.
He advised the President-elect,Bola Tinubu to do everything to bring Nigerians together,as Nigerians have never been as divided as they are today.
“It is true that Nigeria has not been as divided as we are today and people that have always thrown up the ethnic and religious cards are our political leaders. They do it to work on our sensibilities. Those things that are touchy about us is what they bring into the game of seeking power.
“Those who has fanned the embers of tribalism in Nigeria has done it selfishly and the insecurity in Nigeria has shown us the real manner and quality of leaders we have. Look at what is happening in Benue,where over 400 people have been killed. In other climes,it is enough for us to move all our forces there,” he said.
On Edo 2024, he said whatever will happen is the hands of God.
“You know, you can’t determine tomorrow,as it is in the hands of God. But,I had plans to be governor before and there is nothing wrong if I want to be governor now. Because,there are things you can do differently in this state. With due respect for those who have governed this state and those who are still governor. I am not saying they have not done well. They have done their best,but I am not happy with what I see here, starting from my environment,the despondent on the faces of people. It is not money you need to do some of this things,but political will.
“All the things I did as a Senator–provision of infrastructure,the street lights,the town halls,roads, schools, the empowerment of over 6000 persons were made possible because I did not exhibit personal greed. Those things would have been there and I will tell the contractors,let share the money ,I will sign for you. That is how it is done. But I challenge any contractor if I have any deal with them or any person working with me have any deal with them.”
