We need revolution now -Tambuwal Our Reporter July 3, 2013 53 Comments » … Speaker: ‘Ethical rebirth is way forward against injustice, others’ By SAM OTTI The Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, said yesterday that only a revolution would see Nigeria surmount its current problem. However, he said that the revolution should be devoid of violence, bloodshed and war, but a “revolutionary deployment of intellectual knowledge for the development of the society.” According to the Speaker, injustice, poverty, marginalisation and corruption were compelling reasons for possible revolution in the country. Tambuwal spoke in Lagos yesterday at the 2013 Distinguished Management Lecture organised by the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered). The event, held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, was attended by the NIM President, Dr Michael Olawale-Cole, Professor of Law, Akin Oyebode, Deacon Gamaliel Onosode, Mr Akinbayo Adenubi, who also moderated the programme, past presidents of the institute and other dignitaries. Tambuwal, who was the Guest Speaker, was represented by the Chairman, House Committee on Legislative Budget and Research, Hon Bamidele Opeyemi. Speaking on the theme, “The Role of the Legislature on Economic, Infrastructural and Ethical Revolution in Nigeria,” the Speaker took a cursory look at the nation, describing it as ‘fantastic contradictions.’ While speaking on the country’s travails, Tambuwal said; “Today, we live in a country of fantastic contradictions. We have great human and material resources, yet, we are always on the list of countries with the worst poverty index. Our economy is alleged to be growing but the lives of the majority of our citizens do not convey this testimony; we have more places of worship per square meter than most nations on this earth, yet, corruption and violence threaten our very survival; we have some of the best agricultural lands in the world but we import food. We are the sixth largest producer of crude oil, but we import fuel; we have lived together as a nation for a hundred years, yet, daily, you hear stories of threats of our impending breaking up. One can go on and on because the list is endless.” Tambuwal said the National Assembly was already at the forefront of this revolution, with the massive work in amending the 1999 Constitution. He argued that the several challenges facing the country have made the option of revolution desirable. “Now let us consider the kind of conditions that must subsist in order for any talk of revolution to be taken seriously. The most compelling reasons for revolution throughout the ages were injustice, crushing poverty, marginalisation, rampant corruption, lawlessness, joblessness, and general disaffection with the ruling elite. You will agree with me that these factors capture the conditions of our nation now, to a very large extent. “Over the years, successive governments have made efforts to deal with this menace. That these conditions exist is well known to the people in authority but the successive efforts have failed to yield the desired results. This, therefore, justifies the radical change from the present approach to a revolutionary one,” he explained. According to Tamuwal, the legislature has become increasingly concerned about the over-celebration of input-oriented budget that does not incorporate feedback mechanism for output and outcomes. He also called for prompt action to redress the error. As part of efforts to usher in radical transformation in the country, Tambuwal said legislators as representatives of the people, must ensure that the more critical needs of the people get priority attention. “An independent, conscientious and determined legislature therefore, has the duty and the means to bring about drastic changes in the culture, economy, and socio-political institutions. By applying its mind to its constitutional roles, it can cause the kind of changes that can only be described as revolutionary,” he said. In his remarks, Prof Oyebode of the University of Lagos, described Tambulwal as an effective leader and celebrated consensus-builder, who is ‘proving to be a most consummate political actor for whom destiny evidently has a lot more in stock in the years ahead.’ Oyebode, professor of International Law and Jurisprudence, said the country was at cross-roads of development, marred by sad experiences of flip-flops in governance as well as policy formulation. “From the Westminster cabinet government mode, we are now toying with the presidential system which was imposed on us through the antics of the military junta which had lorded it over us for upwards of 30 years,” he said. The NIM president said Tambuwal came as a natural choice to deliver the lecture because of his antecedent as a vocal and respected voice on issues of legislative and national importance. He said that the Speaker has been handling legislative matters with vibrancy, sagacity, astuteness and resoluteness. Olawale-Cole said the annual lecture was part of the institute’s Corporate Social Responsibility and contributions to nation- building, as it provided a platform to brainstorm on contemporary leadership issues and suggest the ways forward to government. He urged the legislature to forge a closer working ties with the executive and the judiciary for the benefit of the nation’s democracy.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 07:44:50 +0000
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