First time member of the Federal Home of Representatives beneath the Labour Party, Prof Lilian Orogbu, spoke to Okey Maduforo on her journey up to now on the Inexperienced Chambers. Excerpts:
How has it been on the Inexperienced Chambers as contemporary lawmaker?
I’ll like to tell you that the first operate of the legislature is lawmaking for good governance and orderliness of the society.
Nevertheless, when this present democratic dispensation was midwife, our pioneers thought it clever to insert what they termed “Constituency and Zonal Intervention Tasks for members of the Nationwide Meeting.
Underneath the constituency tasks, a Home member is allotted N150 million within the statutory finances and N100 million as zonal intervention undertaking, bringing the sum whole to N250 million yearly.
You’ll agree with me that this has turn out to be very insignificant in at this time’s financial worth.
There’s actually not a lot a legislator can do when it comes to inserting tasks for his or constituency in every finances circle.
Thoughts you this quantity will not be launched on to the legislators, quite you might be allowed to insert tasks of your selection in designated federal businesses to execute in your behalf.
Every other factor you’ll be able to entice outdoors what this will present must be by means of intense lobbying and contacts.
With out sounding I’m modest, in my first one yr and beneath one finances circle, l have been capable of entice quite a lot of impactful tasks as itemised under:
.A police station to be constructed at Ishiagu which has already been awarded for building.
.The reconstruction of classroom blocks at Ezioka group secondary faculty.
.Reconstruction of classroom blocks at Agulu Awka main faculty.
.Reconstruction of classroom blocks at Group main faculty Ikwodiaku.
.Reconstruction and furnishing of Ogulube village main faculty Èbenebe Awka North
in addition to Group main faculty Ezinifte Okpuno and Group Secondary School Mgbakwu in Awka North native authorities space and likewise the development of a street resulting in the Youths centre at Amansea.
I’ve been capable of present grants starting from N50,000 to N1m to petty merchants whose stalls had been demolished in Awka, and this helped small enterprise house owners get better from their losses and revitalised their livelihoods; empowered 200 widows, younger and previous, with 200 grinding and 200 stitching machines and secured employments for some members of my Constituency.
You mentioned that your obligation is to make legal guidelines, what number of are to your credit score?
The core legislative actions: l sought and resurrected the Invoice for the institution of Federal Faculty of Agriculture Awba Ofemili which was began by my predecessor however died with earlier Meeting as a result of it didn’t full its legislative processes and it has now gone by means of second studying and handed to the related committee for public listening to.
I additionally sponsored one other Invoice for the institution of a school of Entrepreneurship Research in Awka.
I’ve equally moved the next motions and petitions:
Want for Federal Authorities to make use of use of contemporary expertise to safe our borders; Want to analyze the delay in capturing Nnamdi Azikiwe University staff and different Nigerians within the Built-in Payroll Private Data System, (IPPS) for perusal and approval;
pressing want to analyze the brutal homicide of over 10 youths in Nibo Group in Awka North/South Federal Constituency of Anambra State; want to analyze denial of Nigerian staff entry to housing mortgage by the Nigerian Housing Fund and the Federal Mortgage Financial institution.
Moreover, l laid three petitions as follows:
petition towards Nigeria Military in respect of a younger constituent who was a serving soldier in Mumbai, Adamawa State, however obtained lacking since 2024 and so on.
Do you assume that these achievements are sufficient so that you can get a second time period?
After all, however let me additionally remind you that the primary finances 2024 beneath this tenure got here on the time l was nonetheless studying the ropes, so you must anticipate far more goodies within the subsequent budgets.
It is very important convey to your discover the disadvantages inherent within the incapability of our constituency to provide a rating legislator within the Home of Representatives because the inception of this democratic dispensation.
With out being a rating member of the Home, by rating member l imply you have to have been round for at the very least two tenures or extra, you received’t be capable to get the chairmanship of a grade ‘A’ Committee or principal workplace.
These are positions that may help you entice extra tasks and different incentives for the constituency. I’m not simply saying this as a result of l wish to be re-elected however it’s the truth.
The thought of stopping at single tenure is a giant loss to all of us as members of Awka North and South Federal Constituency.
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