AUSTIN OPARA: THE CONSENSUS-BUILDER
Austin Uganwa pays tribute to Opara, former deputy speaker, House of Representatives, at age 56
Former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Austin Adiele Opara is 56. This milestone is euphoric for a number of reasons. One, Opara was a man who as a presiding officer of the House of Representatives at a young age of 39 played a leading role in defining the nascent National Assembly in the new millennium. For two decades, he has bestridden the Rivers and national politics in a far-reaching fashion, enabling him to contribute immensely to nation-building and development of his state.
He has been working closely with the incumbent governor of the state, Nyesom Wike since 2015 towards making the oil-rich Rivers an outstanding state. As chairman of the 2019 Rivers State Governorship Inauguration Planning and Handover Committee he put in place an effective continuity road map for the re-elected governor to underpin Wike’s robust vision of the state essentially anchored on infrastructural revolution.
Since 1998 the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was founded he has remained consistently loyal to the party, playing pioneering roles. He was at the vanguard of the PDP mechanism that dislodged the political hawks headed by the Minister of Transportation, Chief Rotimi Amaechi who leaned on the overzealous security personnel in a failed political move to commandeer the state’s highest political seat.
To his former colleagues during his eight-year stint in the National Assembly, his political associates and friends and numerous others who have been keeping abreast with his uncommon records, at 56 Opara deserves to be celebrated significantly. As a presiding officer of the House at such an embryonic phase of the Fourth Republic National Assembly when it faced lots of challenges, leadership instabilities, Opara stood out as a rare leader, rallying point and consensus-builder.
Although he was deputy to Aminu Bello Masari, Speaker of the House between 2003 and 2007, Opara held other strategic positions in the House, including: chairman, House Committee of the Whole; chairman, House Constitution Review Committee, and member, ECOWAS Parliament and Governing Council of the International Parliamentary Union, the umbrella body that governs all parliaments in the world. It was at the 103rd session of this body held in Manila, Philippines in 2005 that Opara canvassed strongly that the parliaments of advanced democracies should exert pressure on their executive arm to grant Nigeria debt relief and cancellation. This request was interestingly acceded to months after as Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration at that time similarly intensified the campaign on the international front.
Opara’s push for debt cancellation at Manila, Philippines was a follow up to his earlier motion on the floor of the House. Opara demonstrated his patriotic zeal when on March 8, 2005 he moved a populist motion on the floor of the House seeking a unilateral moratorium on the country’s servicing and repayment of foreign debts. The House passed the motion that urged the executive arm to stop repayment and servicing of foreign debts until the creditor nations acceded to Nigeria’s request for debt forgiveness. The passage of this motion evidently emboldened the Obasanjo-headed executive arm towards taking on the concerned nations effectively to ensuring the actualisation of Nigeria’s position.
As deputy speaker, Opara exhibited immeasurable degree of candour, liberal disposition, panache, loyalty and humility and thus became a stabilising force of the House. The result was that the House under the leadership of Aminu Bello Masari and his himself was cohesive and closely-knit resulting in striking harmonious relationship. This impacted positively on the volume of committee tasks, and quality and quantity of bills passed. The result was the immeasurable latitude Masari gave to Opara to preside over the House plenary sessions. This development made Opara to set a record as one deputy speaker that presided over the highest number of plenary sessions since inception of the Fourth Republic National Assembly in 1999.
During his first tenure, 1999 - 2003, Opara fundamentally distinguished himself profoundly. Apart from making robust contributions on the floor of the House, he sponsored and co-sponsored several major bills. Among his many bills was Gas Re-injection Bill which sought end to gas flaring and proper utilisation of gas resources towards ensuring clean environment and the enhancement of government revenue base. He was also deeply involved in the horse-trading and intriguing politics that gave rise to the passage of Niger Delta Development Commission Bill and its establishment in 2000.
Born in 1963 into the family of Chief Robert and Mrs. Sarah Opara in Nkpolu Oroworukwo, the heart of Port Harcourt, Austin Adiele Opara had a humble beginning. His father was an astute disciplinarian who brought his children up in a modest, moderate, stumpy and religious manner. Opara consciously and unconsciously relives these attributes till date. He is typically endeared to many who would naturally stop at nothing towards ensuring that his new age is deservedly celebrated. Opara is not only humble and delightful to be with; he is welcoming and open to those who come around him.
AS DEPUTY SPEAKER, OPARA EXHIBITED IMMEASURABLE DEGREE OF CANDOUR, LIBERAL DISPOSITION, PANACHE, LOYALTY AND HUMILITY AND THUS BECAME A STABILISING FORCE OF THE HOUSE