Don’t hesitate to check executive excesses, ex-speaker Dogara urges lawmakers
By Samuel Luka
Former Speaker, Nigerian House of Representatives, Rt. Honourable Yakubu Dogara has charged the state assembly members in the country to, irrespective of how they emerged, spare no effort in checking executive excesses.
Dogara who is the immediate past member representing Bogoro, Tafawa Balewa and Dass federal constituency in the house of representatives also called on the state lawmakers to hold the executive to account.
The 8th Nigerian House of Representatives speaker was speaking at a 1-Day Technical Session for Speakers of State Houses of Assembly organized by PERL-ECP in collaboration with the Conference of Speakers at Transcorp Hilton Abuja.
Yakubu Dogara who urged state assembly members to salvage the country’s democracy from recession was speaking on a topic, ‘Effective Leadership for Emerging Legislatures: Lessions, Challenges, Opportunities and Recommendations.
He prayed that the lawmakers find courage to take up their places as the guard rails of Nigeria’s democracy in order to salvage it which according to him, is said to be in recession at the moment.
“Always remember the saying that, “liberty is as rare as it is fragile. Wedged uneasily between tyranny and anarchy”. You must never allow the executive to drop an elbow on our democracy’s throat”, he said.
The former speaker further said, “until you make the legislature grow in strength in relation to the executive and other parties, history will not be kind to you”.
“For you to be said to be an effective leader, obstacles that deter others must spur you on”, Dogara asserted.
Dogara reminded the lawmakers that they have been mandated to provide leadership in Institutions that are the
safeguards of liberty of Nigerians.
The former speaker who expressed sadness that strong leaders and executives imposed leaders of the legislature, lamented that disagreement to such actions are often interpreted as disloyalty.
“Now that we live in the midst of pandemic of sycophancy, by modern- day standards, disagreement is synonymous with disloyalty “, he added.
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The former speaker wondered how the legislature can discharge its constitutional functions without let and hindrance when collusion is seen by the executive as a precondition for maintaining a seat at the table.
“Sadly, nothing hurts a democracy more than conflict avoidance and selective blindness. For where loyal opposition ends, tyranny begins”, he said.
