Nigerians in the first week of November were again united in hilariousness and chivalry. Indeed by my reckoning, it was the
3rd time since the sudden demise of Military Dictator Sani Abacha in 1998, that the masses of the people of Nigeria rose in
unison to herald the end of an era. Apart from the end of Abacha jubilation, this celebration was second only to the applause that
greeted the stifling by the Senate of Obasanjo's attempt to secure an unconstitutional 3rd term. The early November sudden end
of the brief tenure of Mrs. Patricia Olubunmi Etteh as the Speaker of the House of Representative was tantamount to the ditching
in the sand of a car which totally lost its break downhill or (and not a few of us will be able to identify with this) the sudden
rupture of a festering boil in the groin or armpit. Hmmmh.
From the onset of the current legislature in June, I have struggled to convince myself that her appointment was not some car
steering made entirely of rubber. Knowing we had Africa's first female Speaker was good. It however seemed patronizing for
the respected women of Africa that the best credential of the new numero uno was her clout of intimacy with the former
President. My confirmation came when I read the Sunnews interview in which she was purported to have said that she knew
nothing of legislative process, but planned to make trips to the United States to understudy the Capitol Hill. Yes she did make a
trip to the US early in her tenure, but if she made any contact with her American opposite, Nancy Pelosi or any other
Congressman, it was nothing that had to do with the 'ayes and nays' of legislative procedures but the 'hip hip hurrays' and 'yo,
yo,yos' of her birthday bash. I might have missed it but the coverage given the birthday of the then Number 5 in Nigeria was
totally silent on her age. But that's overtaken events now.
I had thought that Hon. Etteh's Plan B would be to surround herself with personal staff who understand the legislative process
and the bureaucracy that marks the exalted position. But fillers from her office at the onset of the controversial N628m contract
scandal in the House got me totally bowled over. As journalists sought the ex-Speaker's explanation in the brewing financial
impropriety scandal, her personal assistant, Funke Egbemode was quoted as dismissing the lawmakers that made the allegation
as "just out to make trouble because they failed to clinch House Committee chairmanship positions."
"Egbemode was emphatic that the grouse was the result of some of the lawmakers’ failure to get what they wanted in the sharing
of committees’ chairmanship and not about money. She said, “It is all about their losing out in the committees’ leadership.
“What is she going to do with their money? Will she spend it? “Everybody knows that in the newsroom moving against your
editor for not paying your transport claims.
“Is that not the work of the accounts department?
“They are just trying to find a way to cause trouble.” (Nigerian Tribune - Saturday, August 4, 2007)
I thought that was churlish and discourteous of her boss's Honorable colleagues. The former Speaker herself made issues no
better with her long spell of silence, after her return from her birthday celebration in the state of Maryland.
The Etteh saga is now history (or is it?) But My take from it all is that Nigerian public administration might well be on it's way to
outgrowing the Etteh-ists of this world. The divide and rule tactics of the Obasanjo era seemed to have succeeded in
emboldening Nigerians. The far from ideal party primaries and actual conduct of the last general elections notwithstanding, the
House of Representatives can still boast of a crop of some of the best professionals any institution anywhere in the world could
vouch for. Etteh just found herself belonging to the relics of the past. The expectation of Nigerians and the whole world
therefore is that the watchdog role they have so early introduced in the House will become tandem with the order of Nigeria's
legislative process. It may also not be out of place at this time for the lawmakers to x-ray the unwholesome partisanship of the
pro-Etteh group, to decipher the inducement that fueled their belligerence and denigration of decorum while the leadership crisis
lasted.
All said and done, our question now is: what lessons can be learnt from the long drawn crisis of confidence that rocked Nigeria's
lower legislative House? This is in consonance with words of African elders that as much as everybody should join hands in
chasing away the predator hawk, the mother hen and chicks must receive new lessons about safety when the intruder is gone.
The former Speaker's poor handling of the whole corruption episode was worrisome and elicited an editorial comment from us.
But the most disquieting fall out of the whole ugly tragedy was the call by well placed Nigerians, including sadly enough, the
Press, on President Yar'Adua to intervene and make a pronouncement on the Speaker's action or lack of it. Even after the former
Speaker and her Deputy had stepped down the President's silent was still criticised as not being golden. Musa Yar'Adua's
decision not to be overtly dragged into the business of the law-making body was sapient. Nigerians must resist the hangover
from the Obasanjo era when the President not only took a decision on every legislation, but also interpreted Court rulings. That
was autocracy, a spillover from the many years of military dictatorship. Today, Nigerians should seek greater powers for the
voter and his/her vote. Luckily, Hon. Dimeji Bankole, the current House Speaker has called for more participatory democracy.
That is OUR democracy!
3rd time since the sudden demise of Military Dictator Sani Abacha in 1998, that the masses of the people of Nigeria rose in
unison to herald the end of an era. Apart from the end of Abacha jubilation, this celebration was second only to the applause that
greeted the stifling by the Senate of Obasanjo's attempt to secure an unconstitutional 3rd term. The early November sudden end
of the brief tenure of Mrs. Patricia Olubunmi Etteh as the Speaker of the House of Representative was tantamount to the ditching
in the sand of a car which totally lost its break downhill or (and not a few of us will be able to identify with this) the sudden
rupture of a festering boil in the groin or armpit. Hmmmh.
From the onset of the current legislature in June, I have struggled to convince myself that her appointment was not some car
steering made entirely of rubber. Knowing we had Africa's first female Speaker was good. It however seemed patronizing for
the respected women of Africa that the best credential of the new numero uno was her clout of intimacy with the former
President. My confirmation came when I read the Sunnews interview in which she was purported to have said that she knew
nothing of legislative process, but planned to make trips to the United States to understudy the Capitol Hill. Yes she did make a
trip to the US early in her tenure, but if she made any contact with her American opposite, Nancy Pelosi or any other
Congressman, it was nothing that had to do with the 'ayes and nays' of legislative procedures but the 'hip hip hurrays' and 'yo,
yo,yos' of her birthday bash. I might have missed it but the coverage given the birthday of the then Number 5 in Nigeria was
totally silent on her age. But that's overtaken events now.
I had thought that Hon. Etteh's Plan B would be to surround herself with personal staff who understand the legislative process
and the bureaucracy that marks the exalted position. But fillers from her office at the onset of the controversial N628m contract
scandal in the House got me totally bowled over. As journalists sought the ex-Speaker's explanation in the brewing financial
impropriety scandal, her personal assistant, Funke Egbemode was quoted as dismissing the lawmakers that made the allegation
as "just out to make trouble because they failed to clinch House Committee chairmanship positions."
"Egbemode was emphatic that the grouse was the result of some of the lawmakers’ failure to get what they wanted in the sharing
of committees’ chairmanship and not about money. She said, “It is all about their losing out in the committees’ leadership.
“What is she going to do with their money? Will she spend it? “Everybody knows that in the newsroom moving against your
editor for not paying your transport claims.
“Is that not the work of the accounts department?
“They are just trying to find a way to cause trouble.” (Nigerian Tribune - Saturday, August 4, 2007)
I thought that was churlish and discourteous of her boss's Honorable colleagues. The former Speaker herself made issues no
better with her long spell of silence, after her return from her birthday celebration in the state of Maryland.
The Etteh saga is now history (or is it?) But My take from it all is that Nigerian public administration might well be on it's way to
outgrowing the Etteh-ists of this world. The divide and rule tactics of the Obasanjo era seemed to have succeeded in
emboldening Nigerians. The far from ideal party primaries and actual conduct of the last general elections notwithstanding, the
House of Representatives can still boast of a crop of some of the best professionals any institution anywhere in the world could
vouch for. Etteh just found herself belonging to the relics of the past. The expectation of Nigerians and the whole world
therefore is that the watchdog role they have so early introduced in the House will become tandem with the order of Nigeria's
legislative process. It may also not be out of place at this time for the lawmakers to x-ray the unwholesome partisanship of the
pro-Etteh group, to decipher the inducement that fueled their belligerence and denigration of decorum while the leadership crisis
lasted.
All said and done, our question now is: what lessons can be learnt from the long drawn crisis of confidence that rocked Nigeria's
lower legislative House? This is in consonance with words of African elders that as much as everybody should join hands in
chasing away the predator hawk, the mother hen and chicks must receive new lessons about safety when the intruder is gone.
The former Speaker's poor handling of the whole corruption episode was worrisome and elicited an editorial comment from us.
But the most disquieting fall out of the whole ugly tragedy was the call by well placed Nigerians, including sadly enough, the
Press, on President Yar'Adua to intervene and make a pronouncement on the Speaker's action or lack of it. Even after the former
Speaker and her Deputy had stepped down the President's silent was still criticised as not being golden. Musa Yar'Adua's
decision not to be overtly dragged into the business of the law-making body was sapient. Nigerians must resist the hangover
from the Obasanjo era when the President not only took a decision on every legislation, but also interpreted Court rulings. That
was autocracy, a spillover from the many years of military dictatorship. Today, Nigerians should seek greater powers for the
voter and his/her vote. Luckily, Hon. Dimeji Bankole, the current House Speaker has called for more participatory democracy.
That is OUR democracy!
With the Hawk Gone, new Safety Tips for the Hen
- Lessons from Nigeria's fmr. House Speaker's Corruption Scandal
- Lessons from Nigeria's fmr. House Speaker's Corruption Scandal
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