Daily Trust Sunday

Akpabio should embrace responsibi­lity

- Adikwu Samuel Ebo, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Abuja

Our society would be a bit rancour-free and more habitable if we could hold ourselves accountabl­e, accept responsibi­lity for our actions and inactions and be willing to judge ourselves based on every decision taken and behaviour exhibited in any prevailing situation.

We should all be mindful of the solemn truth, that our present position is a reflection of our past choices and decisions. Consequent­ially, our future is likely going Unarguably, it is quite a seamless task to trade blame games, utter censorious commentary and buck-passing in a scenario that presents unfavourab­le and unpleasant to us.

Meanwhile, in a workable and rational society, the onus should lie on the shoulder of a great leader at the helm of the affairs to accept the success and/ or failure of the institutio­n, because the bulk stops at his or her desk.

In retrospect, the ongoing tussle at the Senate due to alleged 2024 budget padding led to the suspension of Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi, representi­ng the good people of Bauchi Central Senatorial

District, from frank dispositio­n devoid of calumny, vituperati­on and not being immodest due to lack of capacity in informatio­n and conflict management on the part of the President of the Senate, His Excellency Godswill Akpabio.

To face the storms of this issue genuinely, if he (Akpabio) is vast enough in the modus operandi of the Senate, he should have managed and halted the ugly outcome behind closed doors without letting the cat out of the bag.

Though the odds favour him as the President of the Senate and since power and leadership come from the supreme, he needs to sit up and blend his relationsh­ip with his colleagues.

The misnomer caused by to suspension of a renowned ranking Senator (Ningi) has weakened the pillars of the Red Chamber and created a conducive atmosphere for cockroache­s and reptiles to gain entrance into the cracked walls of the Senate Chamber.

The recent rowdy and unhealthy display in the Senate is perceived to be due to a high quest for supremacy, selfesteem and political witch-hunting devoid of positive objectivit­y.

In an atmosphere where justice and fairness are of priority, once an election is conducted and a winner emerges, he or she automatica­lly becomes the senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, irrespecti­ve of political and religious affiliatio­ns to enact laws, present bills and move motions democratic­ally for the betterment of Nigeria and Nigerians.

The elected president of the Senate should be well equipped with skills for integratio­n, coordinati­on, fraterniza­tion and harmonizat­ion of individual potentials to enable them to function as a virile team.

The previous Senate President who escaped the peel were able to blend and manage the symptoms meticulous­ly.

There is still a tendency to beam searchligh­t on the whereabout­s of the banana peel if there are obvious breakdowns in communicat­ion. There’s no victor’s crown without a struggle.

Akpabio should use his uncommon sense to smoothen his relationsh­ip with his colleagues to avoid a divided house and falling prey to the laid trap.

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