From John Oghojafor, (south south Bureau Chief)
The smooth and early inauguration of the principal officers of the 9th Senate was indeed a pointer to the level of preparedness by the upper chamber of the National Assembly to launch the country into the next level agenda of the present administration. Unlike the 8th Senate which was characterized by internal bickering and warlike confrontation with the executive, the 9th Senate and indeed, the 9th House of the National Assembly were, from the blast of the whistle, determined to make a difference both in the quality of lawmaking which is the primary and statutory duty of the legislative arm, and also in the quality of checks and balances and oversight function that are traditional to the national lawmaking machinery of the government.
To facilitate the task which the 9th Senate has assigned to itself, the process of electing the principal officers to pilot the affairs of the upper chamber was not only free, transparent and fair, it also produced the eggheads from the pool of 107 highly qualified Senators to jointly drive the vision of the Senate. Thus, the emergence of Senator Lawan Ahmad as the President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege as the Deputy President of the Senate, among other principal officers, indeed, signaled the take-off of a very vibrant and focused Red Chamber prepared to carve a niche for itself in the business of quality lawmaking. And to prove this, the 9th Senate has, within a few months of its inauguration, made several legislations that are germane to the development of the entire country, in collaboration with the executive and judiciary arms of the government.
Senator Ovie Omo-Agege represents the Delta Central Senatorial District of Delta State, otherwise known as the Urhobo nation, in the Nigerian Senate. An experienced national lawmaker who had a well-fulfilling tenure at the 8th Senate, Obarisi Ovie-Agege, is credited with several impactful bills in the last senate, some of which were caught up with the internal partisan struggle that bedeviled the 8th Senate.
Thus, as important as the Sexual Harassment Bill to the protection of Nigerian women, the Senate then, unfortunately could not rise above primordial partisanship to pass the bill into law for the President to assent to, before it wound up its legislative calendar.
Omo-Agege who has been credited with an uncommon high intellectual imagination and projection into the effects and otherwise of national issues, was quoted as being regretful over the failure of the 8thSenate to pass the Sexual Harassment Bill into law before the expiration of its tenure. However, while working very hard to ensure that his people return him for an unprecedented second tenure in the Senate, he also vowed to revive the Sexual Harassment Bill in the 9thSenate if he had his way. And the way he actually had when his people voted overwhelmingly for him to return to the Red Chamber where his performance in the first tenure spoke volume; res ipsa loquitor.
True to type, the fears and apprehension which prompted Omo-Agege to originate the bill, took a national stage when several lecturers in some tertiary institutions in the country were caught in the criminal sexual harassment escapades, and some dismissed from their duty posts after thorough investigations by the authorities of those institutions. It was therefore a matter of expediency that Senator Omo-Agege had to dust the bill and represent same on the floor of the Red Chamber. As at the time of this expose, the bill has passed its second reading and committed to the Committee concerned. Speaking to the bill on the floor of the Red Chamber recently, the Deputy President of the Senate, recommended a maximum of fourteen years jailed term for culprit of sexual harassments in the tertiary institutions. He however placed a lower limit jail term of 4 years for a convicted culprit including with or without a fine. With the recent upsurge of cases of sexual harassment of female students in some tertiary institutions, some Nigerians have referred to Senator Omo-Agege as a man who saw tomorrow when he originated the bill five years ago.
And what could be more empowering than the abolition of fears and threats by lecturers to female students in our higher institutions who refused to succumb to the inordinate thirst of such criminals in the garb of being teachers? It will not only provide the freedom for intellectual excellence by the female students, the bill, when it becomes an Act, will protect the female gender in accordance to Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, which provides for the protection of the human dignity, among others. The fact that our daughters in the tertiary institution can now exercise their freedom without fear or favour, to tap into their pool of talents to excel in their chosen career, is more than an empowerment of sort. And this, Nigerians owe to the foresight of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege.
Still on quality laws that transform a people positively, Senator Omo-Agege, recently presented a Bill for the establishment of a Federal Polytechnic in Orogun in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State. Again, this is another novel idea from the fountain of a man with foresight and compassion for his people. To underscore the necessity of the establishment of a Federal Polytechnic in any part of Delta State, is to ask if there has been the presence of any such institution in the state before now. The obvious answer is, none.
Therefore, the idea of seeking the federal government by way of a legislation, to establish one in Delta State, albeit any part of Delta State, is an idea that is overdue. The Petroleum Training Institute, PTI, in Effurun which some argue is a federal institution akin to a polytechnic could not be farther than a misjudgment. As the name implies, the PTI is a training institute that runs courses that are mainly tailored towards the need of the oil industry. It is not a polytechnic but a mono-technic in the real sense of the word as it offers only oil and gas related courses. Which is why the thought of establishing a federal polytechnic in Delta State is an idea whose time has come.
As at last week, the bill for the establishment of the institution has passed the second reading in the floor of the Red Chamber and it has been committed to the relevant committee to fine-tune, before its final presentation for a pass to law. The Senator is, indeed, making tremendous progress. Is this another empowerment through quality lawmaking, some are wont to ask? And the answer is a fat, YES.
A Federal Polytechnic in the proposed area, as provided for in the Bill, will not only provide several employments to the people of that area and, indeed, Nigerians in general, it has been estimated that, running in a maximum capacity with all the departments functional, the Polytechnic is capable of generating, at least, 5,000 academic and non-academic employment including several employments that will be generated through a multiplier effect. Again, it will attract investors who, in the process, will generate further employment and improve on the local economy. This is a massive empowerment that could not be equated to the provision of okada, sewing machines or even cash.
While the Super Senator is meandering his way to ensure the bill is passed on time for the President to assent, there is a parting word for Deltans and the government of Delta State. To begin with Delta State government, it is obvious that it is the custodian of land resources in the state. The establishment of a Federal Polytechnic will require a large expanse of land and it is the statutory duty of the governor of the state to make such land available for the development of the institution. Therefore, in the spirit of complementing the effort of the state government to provide quality education to its citizens, it is envisaged that it will encourage the establishment of the institution, without much ado. And to the people of Orogun and everyone that is expected to be a potential beneficiary in one way or the other, the watchword should be cooperation with the federal authority whenever the Polytechnic comes on stream.
The emergence of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege as the Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate has opened a new vista of political awareness, generation of employment and development to the people of Delta State, the Niger Delta and Nigeria in general. And this is being made possible through a new approach to lawmaking. The Senator is poised to empower his people, and indeed, Nigerians through various vehicles including quality lawmaking.
