By Umar Farouk
A committed House of Assembly could do far more to bring change on the oversight front and arrest the phenomenal inefficiency in every area of the people life as allowed by Constitution. With the amazing powers bestowed on them, then I wonder why there should be so much inefficiency. Do, Jigawa state House of Assembly understand the enormity of the responsibility bestowed on them, or their contributions and positions dictated are by the interests ranging from the personal to those of the godfathers.
Is this why they are deprived of passionate, robust and intelligent debates aimed at delivering better livelihood to the suffering their people unlike what we see in other States? The first and possibly most important point to here to ask is ‘Jigawa State House of Assembly after the interest of their comstituents or Jigawa state at large?
One may said, they are not doing the needful, they are first and foremost after their own individual interest, followed by the interest of their party. The interest of the Jigawa and it’s people always come a distant third in their hierarchy of pursuits.
When the the state or an institution may truly not make progress as aresult of the failure of the parties to work harmoniously, there are very slim chances that the two arms of government would ever find a common ground to circumvent the good of the people.
They are elected to be in the House, not to initiate policies that caused public outrage and uproar, instead, always to be deem fit to say anything as representatives of the people. They should always be on the side of people who elected them into the Assembly.
They are representing the 30 constituencies of Jigawa State, but yet to come to terms with their original mandate to ensure justice, fairness and freedom, when it comes to policy implementations in Jigawa state. Since the inception of the present Government, I believed there must have been some controversial changes, yet we have not heard their critical voices on the floor of the House.
There are many policies that need to hear their voices on the floor of the house. We have seen how some chamber of the assembly turned into debate rings that meant to further the cause of the common man when some entrenched interests are at stake.
I believed there are many issues that threat the progress of Jigawa state, like poverty, quality education, unemployment and health care system, but how are they adressing those issues at the floor of house?! Not to talk on how to tackle them. The people have become furious and deserved their attentions those issues and many more policies. For the fact, that they came up with the policies that will help improve the state’s social interplay and bost their constituents life positively.
But, so far what they are doing is the eventual triumph of the political sovereignty of the populace. They should understand that in a democratic dispensation, representative leadership is not automatic. People have not forgotten how they trooped to their houses and Mai Shayi joints begging for votes, promised heaven and earth.
They should understand that, they are not in the assembly just to massage anybody’s political ego. As a matter of fact, they should be called to speak up against what is wrong and endorse those things that’s are right. They cannot afford to fold their hands while people are complaining bitterly.
Politics is a game of completing values to protect the people’s lives, traditions, culture, environment and fundamental rights. As the legislators, peoples interest should always be their priority and their situation of development must always be given attention as well.
Umar Farouk writes from Jigawa he can reached via 07032843368
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Sky Daily
