The courageous southeast senators under Buhari led government are worthy of recognition as the government has been characterized by bullying, harassment, and outright dictatorship.
The responsibility of senators in Nigeria is blurry. Often people are heard saying the senator in their constituency did not build roads or pipe-borne water. Some even complain the senator did not attend their daughter’s wedding or share money or facilitate appointments.
This leaves us with one question, what are the responsibilities of the men and women of the red chambers?
A senator is voted to debate and vote on bills (proposed laws); represent the views of people in their constituency, work on parliamentary committees to examine important issues; attend parliamentary party meetings to decide on party policy; scrutinize and closely examine the work of the government.
To break it down, this means that a senator representing Abia south which Aba falls under should pass bills that will attract and favor craftsmanship, entrepreneurial grants, facilitate “motorability” of the roads so that his people at Ariaria shoe production can benefit from these things.
A senator will also vote on bills passed by other senators. For instance, if a senator from Jigawa sponsors a bill that reduced tariff on the importation of cars, the senator representing Anambra South where Innoson motors is, will not only vote against it but lobby other senators to vote against the bill thereby representing the interest of his people who are both manufacturer and employees of IVM.
A senator can chair committees on non-constituency-related issues and make decisions that are best for the country.
The most important of all senatorial duties is to check and balance the executive. A senator is supposed to make sure the executive arm stays through to their campaign promise and does not mismanage resources.
This glass carpet is difficult for most senators to step on. Since the ruling party has a lot of funds and can influence the election of these senators, they turn a blind eye to whatever decision the executive makes.
It becomes difficult to see, especially, southeast senators and the House of Representatives members who challenge the executive and keep them on their toes.
Without much ado, let us look at the thin list of lawmakers who have stayed true to their oats and have been courageous senators under Buhari-led government. We wanted to do five senators but we just couldn’t come up with such an amount.
Here’s the best we could do. And did.
Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP) – Abia South
Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe is one of the longest-serving southeast senators. He has been a sitting senator for 14 years, he is known for being vocal about his disappointments in the present regime. January 2020 he moved a motion asking President Buhari to resign over the increased cases of insecurity in Nigeria reminding him that he promised to end insecurity if elected, and he has failed. This ultimately caused an uproar on social media and droves of responses from the president’s spokespersons and supporters.
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He was also vocal about his allegiance to the Biafra cause by wearing a DOT nations T-shirt after president Buhari called Biafra a dot nation with which he made a huge statement without even saying a word.
Most recently, Senator Abaribe charged the federal government to respect Nnamdi Kanu’s rights even as he has been arrested he should be tried as judicially binding.
He has also sponsored bills in the house on the following-
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SB 262: Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Educational Institutions Prohibition Bill, 2016
- SB 378: NDDC Act 2000 (Amendment) Bill, 2016
- SB 601: Federal College of Education (Technical) Arochukwu, Abia State (Est. etc) Bill, 2018. (Co-sponsor)
- SB 602: Federal Polytechnic Aba, Abia State (Est. etc.) Bill, 2018. (Co-sponsor)
He is one of the most courageous senators in Nigeria.
Kalu Orji Uzor (APC) Abia North
Orji Uzor Kalu was a two-time governor of Abia state, and one of the southeast senators since 2019, an elder statesman in 2 opposition parties yet he has been seemingly quiet on a number of issues affecting society he was arrested and imprisoned by the EFCC on the count of embezzlement when he was Governor of Abia State. An activity he maintains is a witch hunt.
After his episode in prison where he was imprisoned for a 12year term and was released shortly afterward, it was said that he did not believe the Buhari-led government would witch hunt him in the manner they did.
It is no longer a secret that the Buhari-led government had become a shelter for embezzle-ridden public service as soon as they signed up for membership for the APC.
Orji Uzor Kalu was one of those. He moved from PDP to APC in 2016 shortly after the party won the general elections. His meal ticket hadn’t expired before they threw him under the bus.
After his release, he went full gear on the government by sponsoring his first bill in the house:
SB 465: Administration of Criminal Justice Act (Amendment) Bill, 2020. Sponsored by: Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu.
He has also sponsored another bill on the environment – SB 731: National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) Sponsored by: Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu.
Glad prison got someone talking.
Stella Oduah (PDP) – Anambra North
Mrs. Oduah surprised everyone by sponsoring the SB 07: Protection of Personal Information Bill, 2019.
This bill is currently at its second reading. It prohibits the government from illegally obtaining personal information, using personal information to hurt the citizens. Also protection from fraudulent activities.
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The Buhari-led government has been bent on having undue access to personal information requesting NIN linked to Sim cards, IMEI which the masses especially on Twitter deemed an attack on personal information.
Some would term this a political stunt by the PDP to attack anything the APC did. Either way, she was quite courageous to go against the ruling party.
Surprisingly she has also sponsored 24 other bills since 2019 till date. This is the highest number of bills she has sponsored since she got into the house in 2011. She is one of the two female southeast senators in the southeast.
Chimaraoke Nnamani- Enugu East
He is one of the few who have been objective and non-biased in their approach. He tells the truth regardless of whose ox is gored, and the president’s ox gets gored many times.
The latest instance was in November 2019 when he spoke up against the social media bill calling it an attempt to gag the press.
This is a huge leap from his radio silence during the Endsars protest.
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