Essential Ndubuisi
By Linus Chukwuma
It will take a glimpse into the activities of a lawmaker to infer whether he/she is performing or underperforming. It requires not a slew of aides thrusting a narrative down the public throat. Oftentimes, inapposite bills and motions are sponsored vaingloriously on the floor of the chambers.
A pry into the legislative activities of the Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, Uche Ekwunife, will tell a lot about her distinctive bouncy strides on the floor of the NASS since she was first elected in 2007.
In an era of impeachment paralysis in US, we must be fair to notice their strong institutions and how their lawmakers operate. Unlike, clapping for a legislator for sponsoring numerous misplaced bills US lawmakers always advocate for a cause. For instance, Senator Charles Chuck Grassley of Iowa has spent many years in the senate advocating for health care issues, tax and immigration reforms.
To keep in mind is part of the reasons I admire a great deal Ekwunife’s legislative engagements. She has been an advocate of local government and financial Autonomy. Whatever is enshrined in the constitution is in stark contrast in reality. The State Joint Local Government Account fetter independence as their funds are often withheld by the state governments. Commendation to few states that are in opposite.
Ekwunife, recently during a courtesy visit in Orumba south, Anambra, queried the slow-going development in the local government levels. The Senator attributed the static and stagnation of the third tier to the usurpation by the state government.
“We have”, she began, “three tiers of government but only two tiers are working- Federal and State- the local government is not working.”
“The federal is not usurping the powers of the state, but the state is usurping the powers of local government, that is why our communities are grossly underdeveloped.”
The Igbo-Ukwu born Senator further said that, there is no developmental projects embarked by our local government councils except payment of salaries by the chairmen, who are in most cases appointees of the State government.
The above remarks coming in the year of the state guber election would have been treated with a pinch of salt, but not when it was from Ekwunife. She has earned a reputation for being a credible voice in the National Assembly. The Senator prides in competence and high-quality representation.
I have always argued that there are many important aspects of being a legislator besides measurable factors like performing oversight functions. Ekwunife combines all aspects-including non-legislative activities- by her deeds.
Even though that the local government autonomy is a constitutional matter, however, if she becomes Governor, the Chairman Senate Committee on Science and Technology promised never to usurp the powers of the local governments, which she said have a great role to play in opening up the hinterlands. According to her, it is possible that the revenue from Orumba south is being used to develop other local government and vice versa.
It is Ekwunife’s posture that the people’s tier of government makes accountability more meaningful because of the link between bureaucrats and the locals. Distribution of social, infrastructural and developmental services as well as opportunities for grievances to be tabled are few roles played by the tier.
Meanwhile, non-interference must begin by conducting LGAs election, and gladly Ekwunife has assured it would be done in not more than a year into her government.
Not by chance, that the legislator who has been championing the cause for the people’s tier since 2007 is in the race to succeed the incumbent governor. And for the accountability, development, functioning primary healthcare Et al, that we want to see in our local government, we must not look beyond Ekwunife.
