Three Peas in a Pod
Rebellion comes in many shapes and forms but questions as to whether or not the emergence of Senator (Dr.) Abubakar Bukola Saraki as the Senate President of the 8th National Assembly on June 9 followed due constitutional procedure or better put “convention” has now been dispelled. Despite this fact, his election as Nigeria’s No.3 citizen and President of the Senate is still the subject of debate amongst politicians, journalists and the public at large. The reality though is that aside from his sheer stature and physical presence, Senator Bukola Saraki’s election to the Senate Presidency has also had a massive psychological impact on the power tussle between the politicians of Northern and Southern Nigeria in that after six years of the previous administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, the Northerners are now firmly back in control of the key political offices of state and are now in a position to assert themselves over the political terrain.
Is it a mere coincidence that President Muhammadu Buhari is from the North-West Geo-Political Zone, Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki from the North-Central GeoPolitical Zone and the Speaker of the House of Representatives Honourable Yakubu Dogara from the North-East Geo-Political Zone? I have my doubts. This is because when the Northerners realised that Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (the former minority leader) of Yoruba extraction in the House of Representatives stood a good chance of becoming Speaker of the House of Representatives, they quickly moved to checkmate him especially when it became clear that Senator Bukola Saraki had emerged as Senate President. Rather than have the two leaders of the 8th National Assembly being seen as Yorubas, they opted to have the presidency and the leadership of the National Assembly come from the three Northern Geo-Political Zones. It must also be noted that the Northerners opted to make this choice irrespective of party affiliation, background, religion or ideology. They may have differed in their methods, tactics or detail but they appeared somewhat united in establishing a viable and united Northern bloc.
It is for this particular reason that the Southern Politicians in the All Progressive Congress (APC) did not want Senator Bukola Saraki to emerge as Senate President but they underestimated the comradeship and unity of the Northern bloc of politicians, which by and large make up the Arewa Congress. It is this in my respectful opinion rather than just aligning with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that swept Senator Saraki to the Senate Presidency. Focusing particularly on Saraki, he has over the years shown himself to be a team player as well as a versatile and charismatic 21st century progressive politician, who has displayed his intellectual, technical, administrative and professional abilities at the national level. Born into the political dynasty of the late Senator Olusola Saraki, a onetime Senate Leader (1979 – 1983) Senate President Bukola Saraki was the best student in his late father’s class of politicians. The new Senate President has played critical roles in the political history of the Nation particularly when looking back at his leadership of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF).
Saraki as a master strategist is wise enough to identify the direction President Buhari is leading the nation and has every intention of tagging along with him while at the same time maintaining the independence of the legislature. The Senate President, while reacting to the leadership saga that characterised his emergence as President of the Senate, described Buhari’s reaction to the election of National Assembly leaders as a “great mark of leadership” and a demonstration of the President’s commitment to democracy. In a similar vein, the new Senate President also denied that he had plans to decamp to the PDP, describing the insinuation as “absurd and laughable”. He has since restated his commitment to the APC, saying he remains a loyal party member and a leader of the party, committed to contributing his quota to building the party and helping it to deliver its promise of change to the Nigerian people.
Saraki should be commended for giving this assurance right away. This shows that he will be a listening Senate President, having appropriately gauged President Buhari’s body language, which in itself is a mark of true leadership. This explains his steady rise to the top of Nigeria’s political ladder which has already been well charted. The pact with PDP and the emergence of Senator Ike Ekweremadu is not as negative as some would make it out to be in that the Igbos who would otherwise have been sidelined for not voting for the APC have now been given a sense of belonging within the national leadership thereby creating the right balance needed for the success of the Buhari-led administration. Therefore, with the leadership issue settled, it’s time for Saraki to ensure a united and harmonious National Assembly that will legislate for the good governance of Nigeria. He must reach out to all aggrieved parties and maintain the status of APC as the ruling party by working in line with its manifesto, mission and vision which must of course be subordinate to the national interest, wishes and expectations of Nigerians.
Like the prelude to his recent political elevation suggests, Saraki’s charisma shinned bright like a diamond among his fellow Governors who has previously indicated appointed him as Chairman of the NGF in 2007. Under his Chairmanship, a reformed Forum was established, with a fully resourced secretariat, and a technical and administrative division that was entirely focused on delivery. He also introduced a range of new processes, including the State Peer Review Mechanism, to ensure that closer working and collaboration could take place between members of the Forum, and best practices shared between states. It’s worth reminding those still in doubt of his leadership acumen that it was Saraki who led the NGF, working with the National Assembly, to devise the Doctrine of Necessity, which was then passed as a resolution that resolved the crippling leadership impasse and allowed the then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to take over and become the acting President until such a time that the then President returned.
In the upper chamber, where he is now President, Saraki has been very active and was known to campaign extensively on health, food security, education and environmental issues. His work on the oil industry, also led him to focus on arguing for the strengthening of laws relating to the cleanup of oil spills. His National Oil Spill and Detection and Response Agency Amendment Bill sought to ensure oil companies pay appropriate levels of compensation to communities affected by oil spills. As a reflection of his foresight in the new policy expectations of the President Buhari Administration, Saraki sponsored a motion on the floor of the Senate to end Nigeria’s fuel subsidy regime. As earlier highlighted, the Senate President also sponsored other motions and private member bills such as the Climate Change Commission Bill 2013.
Finally, with regard to the Nigerian economy, Saraki as Senate President should cooperate with the executive in ensuring that the Nigerian economy is turned around. This will require sound fiscal policies and monetary policies with correspondent legislation that will channel trillions of Naira investment capital to critical areas of our economy such as the power sector, roads, railways, agriculture and agro-allied industries across the length and breadth of the country. Priority should also be given to the creation of jobs with a firm grip on inflation and the Naira should be devalued further to discourage imported consumer goods. Ultimately, in my respectful opinion there should be an intervention fund to assist the States to pay salaries. Over 50% of voters are on the poverty line. Government priority should be to alleviate poverty by giving Local Government more funds and powers to enable ordinary working class people to have access to basic amenities. Maintaining a stable but progressively dynamic legislature that is at peace with itself, and working harmoniously with the executive and judiciary, in order to move the nation towards rapid economic recovery, socio-political stability and global relevance should be of top priority. If Saraki can use his elevated platform to achieve these set goals, he will surely, sustain his already engraved legacies in the sands of time.