Emmanuel Aziken
29 November 2008
opinion
Oversight visit to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government by Senate Committees is one notable way the Senate checks the compliance of the MDAs with the law.
However, over time such visits have gained notoriety for the fact that a few otherwise Distinguished Senators of the Federal Republic have used such visits to project themselves or for some unpopular things.
One particular juicy Senate Committee has in recent years gained infamy on account of the several reports of extortion perpetuated under the guise of oversight.
In one particular case last year after Committee members went on "oversight" and were not appropriately received by the juicy agency of government, the Committee chairman with eyes flaming with fire resorted to the Senate press centre where he leveled multiple allegations of corruption against the chief executive of the parastatal. With eyes flaming the Senator promised a deep investigation into the affairs of the parastatal.
However, that promise soon faded after one "closed door" session between the Committee chairman and the parastatal chief executive.
Fraudulent executives of government agencies also see oversight activities as an opportunity for them to entrap or compromise Senators.
Those compromised inevitably soon lose the moral courage in addressing perceptions of impropriety in the agencies.
It was as such a welcome relief this week when two Senate Committees showed the clean side of the David Mark Senate.
The Senate Committee on Education chaired by Senator (Dr.) Joy Emodi ably assisted by Senator Adamu Aliero this week commenced oversight visits to some parastatals of the Federal Ministry of Education. In a departure from the practice of some Senate Committees who carry out oversight in secrecy, the Education Committee gave notice of its engagements to the press. It was as such soothing when newsmen in the trail of the Committee delegation stumbled on the fact that a former Minister of Education and a former governor in the immediate past dispensation helped themselves to plots of land belonging to the Teachers Registration Council (TRC).
A peeved Senator Emodi was to vow to help the TRC recover the land. The TRC officials who had been seeking the restoration of their land title through the Federal Ministry of Education unbeknown to them were just being taken round circles by the Education Ministry officials who were in the know that a former Education Minister participated in the land grab.
Another Committee that beat its chest this week is the Senate Committee on Works led by Senator Julius Ucha.
After waiting for more than one hour for Engr. Olubunmi Peters the Managing Director of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency to appear for a scheduled Committee appointment, Senator Ucha an otherwise coolheaded and reserved Senator with a reputation for decorum flared up.
As Peters stepped into the Committee room sixty five minutes behind schedule last Tuesday, Ucha blurted:
"As MD of FERMA you can only be god of money, you can't be God of any of us. To wait for you for one and a half hours and finally your men arrived to herald your coming, the almighty MD, it is very, very unfortunate," an angry Ucha asserted.
Though Peters was later said to have earlier that day suffered a fire inferno in his residence, he surprisingly did not tell Committee members so.
Such expressions of independence as demonstrated by Ucha and clarity of vision as espoused by Senator Emodi's Education Committee are what give the Senate the integrity that the body deserves. It even brings personal honour as in Emodi's case, she has now been slated to receive a doctorate degree from the University of Abuja on account of her purposeful industry as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Education.
The Senate screening of ministerial nominees continued this week. Wednesday's screening was particularly eventful on account of the exchange of invectives by some Southeast Senators.
After three former federal legislators nominated to the cabinet bowed and departed without screening, an enraged Senator Uche Chukwumerije was to rise to denounce the bow and go tradition. He asserted that the controversial practice of bow and go was ridiculous and denied him his privilege of assessing the potentials of the nominees for ministerial duties.
He was quickly ruled out of order by the Senate President. However, Senator Ayogu Eze who only seven days ago in his position as Senate spokesman told journalists that the controversial bow and go policy would be discarded rose to attack Chukwumerije for playing to the gallery.
But then Senator Ikechukwu Obiora perhaps mindful of Chukwumerije's age challenged Eze saying: "I do dare say that Senator Ayogu Eze use of the word "playing to the gallery" is denigrating of a status and dignity of Senator Chukwumerije and ipso facto the Senate.'
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