Victor
Onyekachi Ochei is the speaker of Delta State House of Assembly (DTHA). As part
of activities marking the second anniversary of the fifth assembly, Ochei, a
chemical engineer by training who has been in the business of law-making since
2003, spoke to Charles Okogene, on sundry issues in the state. Excerpts:
Can you
assess the performance of Delta State House of Assembly under your speakership?
So far
it has been satisfactory. As a presiding officer, I sit down to preside over
the arguments either for or against and then rule, but in the past two years I
have seen vibrancy, very robust arguments and deep thinking emanating from the
floor. I have seen people become very conscious of their environment and things
going on around them which have direct bearing on their constituents. I can
tell you that a lot has improved on what we used to have in the house of
assembly. In this fifth assembly, we have a crop of new entrants who are very
willing and eager to learn. They buckle up very well and I can tell you that in
my assessment from the plenary and other committee assignments, they have done
well and we could not have wished for anything better than what we have now.
Anything beyond this would have been excellent mark, but I don’t want to sound
immodest. I want to remain with the fact that we have done well.
One of
the biggest achievements you have made in this fifth assembly is the harmonious
relationship between the legislature and the executive, but unfortunately,
critics believe that it has reduced the assembly to a mere rubber stamp in the
hands of the executive. How would you react to this?
It was
in the days when people did not know Delta State House of Assembly that they
used to describe it as rubber stamp in the hands of the executive. It is
unfortunate that what the public wants to see is a house that is at loggerheads
with the executive. And fighting is not the essence for which we came to
represent our people. The essence is to take their issues to the appropriate
quarters or authorities and discuss them, put them in the form of law that will
be used to govern them. That is the essence. Is it how much we fight, how
much negative news we make that matters? I think that is playing to the
gallery. So for us, if as a house of assembly, we have discovered ways and
means to deal with our issues, don’t imagine that the executive and legislative
arms don’t have challenges. We have a lot of challenges; we have issues we
quarrel over but the beauty of it all is that you will never get to see or hear
when we do because we take our issues to the conference table with the
executive and resolve them. There are times they don’t agree and sometimes we
win, some other time they win. And they are times we have to know that on this
issue, they are the bigger partner. But in spite of it all, the house cannot be
described as a rubber stamp just because they do not see us disagree openly and
sharply. What are the major challenges you have had with regards to your
activities as the leader of the house? Well as a speaker challenges are abound
from your constituents, from your colleagues and from the job itself. One is
not just the political head of an arm of government but also the administrative
head of the legislature. There are times when one has to deal with people who
do not know the very essence for which one was elected. As far as they are
concerned, I am the one they can reach and I should do those things that the
executive do for them, do those things the governor should do for them; they tell
me that they don’t have a job and they believe I should provide job for them.
Meanwhile, it is not my job to do that for them. I don’t have it at my beck and
call to give. And when one explains it to them that one doesn’t have, it looks
as if one is not willing to help. That in itself is a challenge because if at
the end of the day I come to work and I cannot satisfy somebody who comes to me
for such, I do not think I have served the person right. But when you know you
are handicapped and so cannot help the person and in telling the person the
truth, the person feels that one is very wicked. He should have felt satisfied
if I lied to him by telling him ‘don’t worry we will get you a job’ when there
is none to give to him. They are even happier with that than telling them
‘sorry, this job does not fall under my purview, however, let me introduce you
to the person in charge’. At times they walk up to me and say ‘they are
employing people at so and so ministry’ and when I ask ‘who told you’ they say
‘it is one secretary there’. Am I to rely on what a secretary told them or what
the head of the ministry told me as a speaker? The head is saying no but the
secretary is saying a different thing and they believe more in what the
secretary said than in what I told them the head of the ministry said. That is
a challenge in itself; so no matter what, the person leaves with the impression
that, ‘Oh! I beg, leave am; e no dey help anybody.’ On the other hand, within
the house, this is the first time in the history of Delta State House of
Assembly (DSHA) that we have proper minority. Members were elected on opposing
party platform.
Now the
question is how do you manage a multi party house? But by the grace of God we
have done that with a lot of wisdom going into it. But for that, it would have
been difficult because they will fight over everything you throw at them. Thank
God, except you are told, you won’t know that it is a multi party house.
Can we
say that your ability to steer the ship of a multi party house like the Delta
House of Assembly is because you have opposition background?
That
gave me some experience, no doubt. But we are talking of different persons this
time; then I was the only person. Now we have many. Somehow we have been able
to carry everybody along while instilling confidence in them. That is why you
will not know the man that is not a member of my party if you are not told.
This is because we have been able to run a house where the party vehicle drops
us at the door of the hallow chamber and when we are in there, we have gone
there to serve the interest of Deltans, and anything and everything that
affects Deltans collectively is over and above our personal or partisan
interests. That is what holds sway. As a house, we must cooperate, we must work
together even when we have differences we discuss them, argue and sometimes
tempers will flare but the ability to say ‘you know what guys, we can’t afford
to fail in this house; we must move on as one’ keeps us going.
Your
house seems to be the only house in Nigeria that still has more than two former
speakers still sitting as members, is their presence a plus to you as a speaker?
Well,
it is not the only house in Nigeria that still has former speakers as members.
I know one or two of them. However, for me, it is a plus because they were
speakers before me; my deputy was a former speaker, we have two other former speakers
in the house as well but we were all, should I say, course mates. We came into
the assembly the same time and while they served as speakers, I was a member
and I served them, too. Today they are members and they are serving me, too. It
is just first among equals and, for me, they are a bastion of support because
they come with the same experience that I have. At times when issues come, they
become council of elders/state and say ‘no speaker, do it this way. When we
were there this was how it was done’. So somehow it adds up and it is more of a
blessing to me than anything else. I enjoy the fact that they are there because
I can look back and ask one or two questions. The fact that they are not even
grumbling shows that we are not antagonistic to each other; rather, we
complement what everybody tenure had been. It was their time of service and we
should all see speakership as a time to serve.
The
anti-kidnapping and anti-terrorism law that was passed and signed into law
recently seems to be the most controversial law passed under your speakership.
Are you under any pressure to amend aspects of it, especially the ones that has
to do with maximum punishment for offenders and demolition of houses where
victims are kept?
Surprisingly,
no; and I wonder why people say it is the most controversial. It is not because
a law was passed and the governor as a person has his opinion on how he
perceives the law and some aspects of it. In spite of how he feels, he operates
within a democratic set up where the constitution is supreme. And the
constitution clearly says that if he does not sign the law for reasons and he
communicates those reasons to us, the moment that is transmitted to the house,
two things will happen. The house either agree or disagree with him; if you agree
with him, then that law is dead, if you disagree with him, then you can go on
to pass the law as long as the constitutional procedure in passing the law is
observed. That was what the house of assembly did. As a doctor, the governor
felt strongly that he does not believe in killing of kidnappers and so will not
sign the law. But the 28 members of the house said ‘no’.
Was it
unanimously passed?
Yes. It
was. The 28 members said, ‘this is our own local problem. Our constituents say
let us kill the people’. I am a presiding officer, I will rule in line with
what they say. I cannot rule outside what they have said. And so, that was
done. The aspect of the law which dealt on demolishing of houses where victims
of kidnappers are kept is because we needed to go the extra mile to put
deterrents that will ensure that if you do not want your house demolished,
ensure that you know the kind of people living in your house so that they
cannot use it for any form of criminal activities like kidnapping, because you
stand the risk of losing the house. If everybody becomes security conscious,
the scourge of kidnapping will be greatly reduced. That is the essence of
having that aspect of the law. So, we are not under any pressure whatsoever to
amend any section of the law.
Any
regret passing the law?
None,
at all; no regrets. It is democracy and, whether you believe it or not, the
awareness that such a law exists is serving as a deterrent. If you tell a young
boy who is in the university, ‘come let’s go for robbery, he is going to say
‘no’, because if he is caught, he is going to die. But if you tell him, ‘make
we kidnap your uncle, e go bring money,’ he doesn’t see anything wrong with it.
He doesn’t think that it is so wrong that they will have to kill him for hiding
your uncle, so he can bring money for his release. But today, if he also knows
that if dem catch am when e go
hide your uncle, na die o! he
doesn’t want to even get involved. So, somehow, it will seep into the
consciousness of this people that it carries the maximum penalty and people
will begin to run away from it.
There
is this call that power should shift to Delta North in 2015, what is your take
on it?
Delta
state is a state that is formed on a tripod – north, south and central – where
centre and south have gotten it. Equity and fairness will only beckon on
Deltans to give north a chance. And for me as a Delta north indigene, I support
it. But, basically, I think that merit and good governance should be the
hallmark at the end of the day.
Then
what is your response to those who are of the opinion that competence and not
where the governor hails from should decide who becomes governor of the state
in 2015?
You
won’t say because it is the turn of Delta north and you bring a mediocre that
knows nothing about governance and then set us backward. I believe that in
spite of all, we must allow competence to be the underlying watchword.
You set
out on your political journey as an opposition member. What was it like then to
be the only none member of PDP in the house?
People
always imagine opposition to be antagonistic of the ruling party; the
opposition we are talking about here is that PDP is the ruling party and I took
a platform that was not PDP; that is one. Two, I make bold to say that
political parties in this country are not founded on any ideology. They are all
registered associations with a view to acting as a vehicle to take you to one
political office or the other. So if that is the background, I only entered a
Toyota Corolla painted in UNPP (United Nigeria Peoples Party) colour while
others boarded the one with PDP colours. The most important thing is that we
all entered cars to the same destination. In the house, PDP had nothing doing
that needed me to come out speaking vehemently opposing it. So long as they
were doing what was right and I agreed that what they were doing was okay, I
didn’t have to oppose for the fun of being in opposition party. I agreed with
them; the only difference was that I did’t go to their meetings because I was
not a member of their party but at the end of the day, they wooed me and I
joined the party. I must say that my time in the opposition was worth the
while. It was a period I made friends and it taught me how to shake hands
across the aisles where one has to be lobbied for one or two things. It
sharpened by negotiating skill and legislative acumen and so I cannot but be
thankful to God that I had the opportunity of coming from the so called
opposition party.
Source: Daily Independent
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