Ben Agande and Gbenga Oke
13 October 2008
interview
HAVING lost out in the power play of Rivers State politics, nothing seems to have been heard of the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Austin Opara.
But Opara disagrees with this notion. He explains that he's been into private business hoping to venture into politics when the time is ripe. In this interview, the former parliamentarian speaks on Nigeria , 48 years after and states why the present crop of leaders are yet to get it right. For him, corruption seems to be the bane of Nigeria and urges government to stop paying lip-service to fighting corruption.
Aside, he opens up on the crisis rocking his state, Rivers, just as he welcomes the creation of a Niger Delta ministry. He also bares his mind on national and sundry issues. Enjoy it. Excerpts:
SINCE you left the corridors of power as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, nothing much has been heard about you politically. Are you out of politics?
It will be difficult for a politician to leave politics. I am doing my private business and living my quiet life, but there is nothing much happening politically because there is a government in place. When it is time for politicking, we shall actually participate in politics, what we are doing now is to pray and wish government well, wish the government to succeed. But basically, I am not out of politics.
Looking back at your days as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, what would you say was your greatest challenge?
I have said this a couple of times that my tenure as Deputy Speaker was exciting. I can say precisely that the four years was exciting. The most challenging time was the period of constitution amendment, I am sure you will recall that I led the House Committee on Constitution Amendment and that was the most challenging time of our tenure. I thank God that we came out of it unhurt with our head and shoulder, but sincerely, that was a very challenging period.
You claimed to have had an exciting tenure as the Deputy Speaker, were there no banana peels in your time?
I have said recently that banana peels started and ended in the Senate. We did not have another peel in the house at least till I left. Na'Abba served for four years. Masari had his tenure, so the issue of banana peel did not exist in the house at least until the point we left.
Maybe that did not happen because you and Masari were seen by some people as Obasanjo boys and that you were in the good books of Obasanjo, that was why the issue of banana peels never arose?
Certainly not correct. The issue of Obasanjo boy or Obasanjo pet does not arise at all. What we did, because there were moments and issues we disagreed with the president, we also disagreed with the party, but the advantage was that, we were able to resolve such issues. Banana peels did not exist because our leadership was open to our colleagues, we consulted and we carried our colleagues along on critical issues especially financial issues.
So, the time of the constitution amendment is a time you will never forget. Why?
Honestly, it will be difficult for me to forget what transpired, the processes and the difficulties that we went through during the constitution amendment.
What is the major thing you can point to, that your tenure left behind, as a major achievement in the House of Representatives?
The major thing we left behind is stability. The stability of the House of Representatives is one thing we can say the Masari-led leadership can boastfully say we achieved and left for the house. We ensured that the four years was crises free and the records are there. We had the highest number of bills within the period; an improved administrative system was put in place for the House of Representatives.
What will you say is the difference between that House then and the present House of Representatives in place?
Well, one thing that is very clear is that we never changed a speaker. Those four years, Masari led that house, but now there is change in the leadership of the house. That is a clear difference and so you can differentiate from what we had. I was the deputy speaker for four years.
Now within a period of 16 months, we already have a second deputy speaker. So, amongst others, we can see it is a clear fact that is known to everybody and it is only buttressing what I've said, that we provided leadership and we ensured that the house was stable.
Having said that, will you say the quality of this house has improved from what we had before?
The problem is the attrition rate. You will recall that about 20 or 25 percent of the members of the last house returned. So, for a parliament that you have about 70 to 75 percent as new members, they will need time to learn the rules, they will need time to understand the rules of the house, they will need time to understand parliamentary procedures, those may be some of the difficulties.
So, you also support continuity in the National Assembly?
For parliament, it is very necessary that there should be continuity, this issue of turn by turn should not arise, people should see parliament as a carrier because the democracies we are learning from, that is what is obtainable, that is what they are practicing.
We should encourage continuity in the parliament and it is envisaged in the constitution, the constitution envisaged that and that is why there is no time limit. Unlike the executive where you have four years, two term maximum, for the legislature, it is limitless.
But, if we continue this system of you have done four years, let it go to another family or let it go to another community, we will continue repeating the same process, that means each new parliament will learn and go through a new process and by the time you learn the rules and the parliament procedures, almost two years would have gone.
There is this feeling people have, that because members of the House of Representatives are always younger, that is why there is always fighting in the house?
My four years as the Deputy Speaker, I am sure you will not say the same about us. But, disagreement is part of the parliamentary activities because it is a place where you have people with divergent background, religion and opinion gathered under one roof.
The way I approach issues will be different from the way you approach issues and also consider the age bracket, the average age of the members of the House of Representatives, I see that chamber as very active.
People who want to make a mark for their country, people who wish their country well, whatever you see there is expected to happen, disagreement, but what is critical and important at the end is the ability to resolve issues and I think the house has really displayed that since 1999, you disagree to agree and that is what is important. But, we need to understand that disagreement, arguments and debate are all part of parliamentary activities.
You claimed that the leadership under you and Masari was a stable one. But from recent discoveries during the various public hearings now, it seems you failed in your oversight functions. How come you were not able to uncover most of these things that are being discovered especially in the power probe and other sectors. What went wrong?
It is wrong to say that we were not carrying out the oversight functions. The extent of the revelations that has come out, how true and how false they are, we are waiting to know, because you will recall that the report has not been adopted by the house.
I heard they have submitted the report, but it has not been adopted. So, it will be hasty for us to conclude that the things we were told are all correct or false. But, you and I know that power especially the turbine, the generating plants is not what you buy across the counter.
If you appropriate money, it takes at least 24 months to build such plants, so for those that were appropriated money, this period will be seen as gestation period, we are getting to a period of maturity, period of implementation, that is the period we are.
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