House’ll Experience Stability under Abbas, Kalu, Say S’West Professionals
The League of Southwest Professionals (LSP) yesterday threw its weight behind the aspirations of Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu, to become the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives respectively.
In a statement by its Communications Director, Mr. Abiodun Yusuf, the league said the experience and productivity of the two lawmakers would be helpful to the Nigerian legislature and make it safe.
The statement read in part: “On the basis of competence and capacity, Abbas, the member representing Zaria Federal Constituency who has an unassailed record in the number of bills sponsored by a private member, should ordinarily be primed for higher responsibility because a man is as good as his last job.”
The statement said having assessed the aspirations of all the contenders to the Speakership position, the group came to the conclusion that Abbas will together with Kalu, bring a wealth of experience, maturity and act as bridge-builders between the legislature and executive arm of government.
“As a patriotic group, the League of Southwest Professionals has watched with consternation at the degeneracy in democratic discussion, the downward spiral in public discourse and reduction regrettably of these discourses to ethnicity and religion, rather than competence and capacity.
“We are not unmindful of the diversities in tongues and tribes, but we believe in the strength embedded in our diversity as a people. May we remind Nigerians that in the 8th and 9th Assembly, Abbas has to his credit 43 and 73 Bills to his credit as a member of the House of Representatives.
“We do not also believe that the only way to prove legislative activism is to adopt a combative approach.The 10th Assembly members deserve to get their due and it will only take a leadership that can negotiate on behalf of members, is to ensure that these gains are achieved without rancour”, the statement said.
As a non-profit making civil society pressure group determined to advocate for the betterment of professionals, the statement said the survival of entrepreneurship given the perennial challenges bedevilling the ease of doing business in the country.