Speaker
Yakubu Dogara
How We
Speaker
Yakubu Dogara
How We Surpassed Previous Legislative Assemblies- Hon.
Dogara
(A Valedictory Speech by the Speaker, House of Representatives
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, his Excellency, Rt. Hon. Yakubu
dogara, at the Valedictory Session of the 8th house of
representatives, thursday, 6th june, 2019)
I am delighted to address you today at this valedictory session
of the 8th House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria. With gratitude to the Almighty God, I congratulate all of
us, Honourable Members, who have been divinely privileged to
witness the end of the journey that we started in this hallowed
chambers on Tuesday, 9th June, 2015. Conversely, With a heavy
heart, we remember our colleagues who passed on in the course of
our tenure. (Observe One Minute silence)
2. I wish to express my profound appreciation to all the Leaders
and Members of this House for the confidence you reposed in me by
electing me the Speaker of the 8th Assembly. I thank you deeply for
the whole-hearted cooperation that the Leadership enjoyed from you
throughout these four unbroken years. This wonderful cooperation,
no doubt, enabled us to have a very stable and peaceful 8th House
of Representatives and to set records that have no parallels in our
history of law making as a nation.
3. Honourable Colleagues, on your behalf, I make bold to say
that the 8th House of Representatives, and the National Assembly as
an institution, has been a huge success. This is without apology to
whoever may hold a contrary opinion. The stubborn facts as provided
chairman of Rules and Business Committee are out there for every
commentator to see. We took off amidst head winds and turbulence
but on stabilizing, we have witnessed book throwers and table
climbers transform into solid leaders. We have seen Mace grabbers
wrestled until they surrendered to the dictates of the Rule of Law,
true friendship and brotherhood. We have witnessed the
transformation of those who struggled to move mere motions to
eloquent debaters and to crown it all, those who, at inception did
not understand themselves, working together, in spite of whatever
differences, for the national good. This is the spirit that defines
us as legislators, the institution of the legislature; and I am
happy we embraced it fully.
4. As we take the final bow on the 9th of June, I take pride in
our corporate accomplishments in these four epochal years in the
governance annals of our country. With our collective efforts and
commitment, we have deepened and grown our democracy. With the
passage of a total of 382 Bills, we surpassed the record of the
Houses of Representatives that preceded us.
5. Ironically, the 8th National Assembly also holds the record
as the most persecuted and harassed Parliament, ever in Nigeria’s
history. Some of our members bear the scars of reckless deployment
of Institutional prerogatives. We witnessed sieges and invasion by
State operatives. Some members suffered witch-hunts, house arrests
and false accusations. We are also witnesses to barrage of
uncharitable criticisms and assessments bandied on daily basis in
the media by hired mercenaries who masquerade as analysts. Most of
these analysts are ignorant of the fact that the parliament was not
designed to be an alter of praise for the Executive but a co-equal
branch to serve as a check on Executive power.
6. The job of parliaments all over the world is to escalate
constructive conflict. It is our job to search for the truth and
without the clash and compromise of ideas, the truth can never be
found. Everything loses its meaning in the absence of the truth.
Anyone who sees disagreement or conflict as inherently bad has no
business leading a democracy because we are not likely to ever see
any healthy democracy that is not productively noisy. This House
and indeed the legislature, must always engage in debates about
both pleasant and unpleasant issues, if it must continue to do the
work of democracy.
7. Progress ceases the very day we cease to disagree. Every
invention, every innovation has always come from someone who
disagreed with the status quo. That is why the Athenian law maker,
Solon, undoubtedly one of those who cradled Democracy, once decreed
it a crime for citizens to shrink from controversy. No Parliament
anywhere can win a popularity contest and Parliaments are not meant
to receive praise. Any Parliament that receives praises especially
from the Executive must be an assemblage of enablers who have
abandoned fidelity to their oath of office.
8. To the chagrin of some, I am happy that this Assembly, just
like others before it, did not allow partisanship to erode our
system of checks and balances. My fulfilment as a leader in this
Assembly stems from the fact that, bolstered by the spirit of
patriotism and nationalism, we were able to sustained the legacies
of previous parliaments by ensuring that this great Institution was
not compromised or exploited.
9. We may not have achieved our Legislative Agenda hundred
percent, but I have no doubt that posterity and history will
acknowledge that in the 8th House of Representatives, we did our
best, given the circumstances and the very toxic environment under
which we operated.
10. Hon colleagues, as we draw the curtains on the 8th Assembly
today, I am still as concerned about the future of our dear
country, as I was, the very day I delivered my Inaugural address
almost four years ago. I worry daily about the alarming rate of
insecurity across the country. It appears we are losing the fight
against violence and as if that is not bad enough, the situation is
so dire that known statesmen are becoming petrified and speaking up
in ways that may further rend our national fault lines. It is like
we refused to hear the whispers and now the screams are threatening
our ear drums.
11. This is a national problem that we can only solve if we pull
our selves together and not apart; regardless of political
persuasions or creed. The challenge is to get the leadership that
throws out politics and partisanship out of the window. Leadership
that reins in all our best human and material resources to confront
these menacing challenges. Yet, instead of uniting to confront this
very danger, all one hears are sermons of divisiveness and
permutations for 2023 elections. I wonder daily if this is not how
the bottom looks like.
12. This is a time that all of us elected or appointed to
positions of authority should soberly reflect on the deteriorating
welfare of our hapless citizens and live up to the biddings of our
offices and the Oaths we took; so that our people can yet hope
again and begin to rebuild their lives.
13. Hon colleagues, in spite of all my worries about the project
Nigeria, my optimism about our future remains, undiminished. I said
before and I now repeat that, I hold no fears for the future
because we are limited only by leadership and our vision, not by
our resources. We shall overcome! No matter how long the night may
last, the day will break. I have no doubt that our salvation will
break out as sudden as the dawn appears. The scriptures say,
“weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning”.
Let us all unite in working to hasten this glorious morning.
14. At this juncture, permit me to extend to all our Members who
are not returning for the 9th Assembly, my best wishes in their
personal and political endeavours. I hope that we will all continue
to be in touch. I will continue to cherish the glowing memories of
our colleagues who passed on in the course of the 8th National
Assembly. May their souls continue to rest in eternal peace.
15. Let me acknowledge the fact that I, and perhaps many of us,
might have made one mistake or another and caused offence among
ourselves these four years. This is expected since we are human.
May I therefore implore everyone I might have wronged to forgive
such wrongs. On my part, I hold no grudges against anyone, and I
plead with everyone to forgive his brothers and sisters. Let us
leave here today without any resentment or bitterness in our
hearts.
16. In closing, I want to charge the Members-elect of the 9th
National Assembly to be determined to raise the bar of the records
of the 8th National Assembly. One sore point that is a must-cure in
our democracy is the issue of flawed elections. We must ensure the
conclusion of the ongoing legislative processes on Electoral
Reforms in a way that will make electoral fraud near-impossible, if
we are to enjoy true democracy. We may have done much, but the work
of democracy still remains undone.
17. I thank you all most immensely, once again, for your
cherished cooperation and understanding with me and the Leadership
of the House throughout our tenure.
18. I also want to use this opportunity to thank members of the
fourth estate of the realm-the media, civil societies, labour
unions and indeed all Nigerians for their support in these four
years and all the invited Guests for adding colour to this
occasion. Permit me to also thank the Clerk to the National House
of Representatives and all chamber staff. You are indeed our every
day living heroes.
19. I also want to specially appreciate our Leaders the Deputy
Speaker, House Leader, Chief Whip, Deputy Leader, Minority Leader,
Deputy Minority Leader, Minority Whip and Deputy Minority Whip.
Thanks to the amazing role you all played. You have a special place
in my heart.
20. God bless you all and may God bless the Federal Republic of
Nigeria.
Yakubu Dogara
Hon Speaker