AS the Delta State House of Assembly (DTHA) resumed sitting yesterday, it had to elect a new Speaker to lead it for the rest of the Fifth Assembly. And, as predicted long before hand, it came to be that the new – one of the newest members, having been in the chambers for just the current term-Speaker is Hon. Peter Onwusanya. He represents Oshimili South constituency in the House.
Onwusanya’s election followed the resignation of the Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei, representing Aniocha North constituency in the state legislature. Ochei’s resignation and the reason behind it are still matters of conjecture, at press time; what remained evident, however, are that the process was smooth – and this speaks volume of the legislators and their former Speaker – and that, arising from the well-handled process, a power vacuum had emerged which was promptly addressed, again in tribute to the maturity of the legislators, in an orderly manner, with Peter Onwusanya now in the saddle. It is instructive to note, in passing that both Ochei –who was elected Speaker on June 6, 2011- and his successor, Onwusanya, are from the same federal constituency-Aniocha/Oshimili – of the state.
At yesterday’s sitting, the new Speaker pledged to carry everyone along, and to run a transparent administration that would draw from the experience of his colleagues, especially the previous leaders of the legislature. It is equally important to note that Ochei himself has not only pledged loyalty to the party and its leaders, but has also vowed cooperation with his colleagues, including, and particularly, the House’s new leadership.
That the power transition process went on smoothly-against the backdrop of some rancorous previous incidents in the House, and other state legislatures in parts of the country, is a glowing tribute to the depth of understanding among members and the wisdom displayed by inner caucus members who engineered the impeccably smooth process.
The general expectation is that, as the novelty of office begins to ebb and the symbolisms and effects of the exercise of power begin to take its toll, against the backdrop of alignment and realignment of loyalty and its tokenism among party members and their political and other correlates outside of the House begin to manifest in relation to the new power structure and its residency, the overall cohesion that occasioned yesterday’s elating power transfer process is not allowed to wane/flag or, more regrettably, asphyxiate to death. This is the first challenge before the new leadership.
Of course, there is the need for constant exercise of restraint and wisdom in the exercise of power; this is a big challenge to the new leadership in the light of several reasons; being relatively new as a first timer, the new Speaker will have to rely on his personal relationship and reach with members to earn their confidence to get quality advice and guidance from older and more experienced members, particularly those, who, like him, have been privileged to hold the exalted office of Speaker of what, today, is easily one of Nigeria’s most vibrant state legislature and, without an iota of doubt, the most technologically up-to-date.
The fact of the proximity of the 2015 general elections is an additional reason prompt and effective resort has to be made to consultations with other members, as the need arises, by the new leadersh of DTHA. He must realise that, as it is said, power is transient, and that it is the effective use to which power is deployed in a legitimate manner for the greater good of the people is what defines the legacy for which leaders either become famous or infamous as soon as they step out of the corridors of power.
He must realise, quite early for his good, that, like many others in positions of power, (political, economic, social, intellectual, etc,) followership is not scant; what is important, but sadly hardly available in sufficient quantity and on time, is the capacity of the followership to objectively criticise leadership.
The new Speaker must realise that, as in DTHA as in all other places of power and influence: sycophants are not in lack; he requires a bit of personal discretion, honest advice from colleagues, especially the more experienced ones, particularly past speakers and holders of other important positions, and wisdom to apply the import of the golden principle that praise is like fertiliser, which is useful and nourishing in appropriate doses and circumstances, but harmful in over doses and improper application.
As he begins his term as Speaker, Onwusanya must appreciate the fact,that since a clear vision of the future is best attained by a clear sighting standing on the shoulders of the past, and given the fact that the DTHA as it stands today, has carved a niche for itself among its peers in the country, especially during the Ochei speakership, he has a big job on hand. The culture of positive collaboration with the executive which the DTHA, under the recent administration nurtured and took to another level altogether, without impairing the integrity of the legislature, needs to be sustained.
In the same vein, the culture of all-inclusiveness among members and the principle of equity and transparency in the dealings of the leadership with members that the Ochei speakership entrenched needs to be continued, if it cannot be improved upon, as should the culture of enforcing rules to enhance the productivity among staff, without infringing their rights.
And then this: Ochei, by his disposition, demonstrated faith in the state and the capacity of its employees in the search for quality service. He demonstrated this by his appointment of Tony Eke,a senior master scriptist and multi-purpose journalist from The Pointer, and the newspapers’ former crack Senior Reporter, Dr. Tony Emina, now a Senior Lecturer at the Delta State University, DELSU, Abraka,as well as Comrade Eddy Ogwude of the Delta Broadcasting Service, DBS, Asaba, and former State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as personal aides.
In a clime where this is hardly the case, the leading role of Ochei in this regard is noteworthy and should be emulated by the new leadership of the House. Media and other establishments in the state glut with efficient and suitable staff who can not only hold their own, but also, where the times call for it, lead the way, in far more ways than one.
There is also the need to sustain the tempo of the regular training and re-training of members and staff, for enhanced efficiency, and the culture of collaboration with other legislatures in other states of the country, especially where the interest of Deltans, which the legislature, now under his watch, correlates with the interest of other existing and potential partners. The recent hosting of the Africa Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Union (CPU) by the DTHA and the affirmative nods it earned for the House and the state attest to the height to which the legislature under the recent leadership, in collaboration with the other stakeholders, especially the executive arm of government, had attained.
The new leadership must realise that the legislature is a crucial arm of the government of the state and, therefore, an important tool in the re-kitting and refinement of the new Delta brand which the Uduaghan administration is seeking to build and etch on the national psyche.
Of course, there is the new philosophy of DTHA – the effective use of technology for enhanced service delivery to the people. By making DTHA the most technologically-up-to-date and compliant in all of the country, the recent leadership redefined legislation in a novel positive way and made the House its clear leader in that regard. The new administration must continue in this stead not only to give revolutionary leadership, but also importantly, to give value for public resources in building and maintaining the eye-catching structures for which the House is now a positive national reference point. In fact, the way to go in this direction is a significant improvement, without infringing on the sacred principle of prudence in public resource use and management.
He must also try as much as possible to replicate, if not surpass, the attainments of the last regime in the guidance of the House to use the legislative process to sufficiently and promptly respond to societal needs – the laws on the death penalty for kidnappers; the traffic management law and the law making it mandatory for all stakeholders to contribute to the efforts to hedge up the tempo of security in the state. The successful response of DTHA in this regard, attests, in more ways than one, what vision, combined with the spirit of team work and commitment of members, which the legislators’ trust in leadership can birth and entrench,can achieve, when propelled by devoted leadership.
Luckily, all of these, to which Speaker Onwusanya glowingly referred yesterday, should motivate him to leave an enduring positive mark as leader of the DTHA as he steps into the “big shoes” left by his predecessor. No doubt, while the shoes are undoubtedly big , Onwusanya can do more; he can bank on something – his personal sense of commitment to duty, as he vowed yesterday, as well as his desire to seek advice as is necessary – and, perhaps, equally importantly, he can bank on the goodwill and support of his colleagues, in the light of the culture of cohesion and inclusiveness which the last leadership has left as an enduring legacy. He can do it.
Culled from Pointer newspaper, Asaba, Delta State.
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