BUKOLA SARAKI SENATE PRESIDENT-SHIP X-RAYED IN 3D, THE CROWN, THE CROSS AND THE PRICE -By Lawal Sharafadeen

Senate President, Bukola Saraki

Every action has its reaction. Nigeria is adjudged to be the country witnessing the toughest permutations in sub Sahara Africa. on the basis of this, we can say that Nigeria houses the toughest set of people and a pointer to this fact is the issue of our bond regardless of what we go through day in day out. We always find a means to remain united.

It is seriously intriguing and mind bogging to analysts the series of events that has been happening post election which seem to have different dimensions and seems unending like a season film. The most prominent of all seems to be the National Assembly crisis which has been on the top chat like a hot song from the Mavins. I remembered a Yoruba saying which says ‘if you hear them carrying it, help them carry it so that they won’t abandon it at your backyard’. Issues affecting the National Assembly must give all Nigerians some sense of deep thought on what the future of the country looks like. This certainly is a road map for what Nigeria will become in the nearest future. Many references shall be made out of all these present happenings and history will never forget the role played by many of the current .

Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Senate President and chairman of the National Assembly has been playing the role of a servant leader who has been able to carry on, despite the adversity placed on his way. Some people will say that Senator Saraki deserves what he is getting but we might want to analyse the developments in the federal legislature under three sub-heads.

1. THE LEADERSHIP OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY.

With all consciousness and sincerity, we all need to x-ray what really happened prior to the elections in the chambers without bias. Politics is not for the fickle-minded nor the weaklings. A good politician is driven by ideas, but most importantly his passion for his ambition.

We see long days at the tribunals with resources flying right left and center, our president, Muhammadu Buhari was a regular man at the tribunals before God eventually answered his prayers. This is one good example of events driven by passion for ambition.

Before the election of the National Assembly leadership, some individuals in the APC pretended to be playing a fatherly role by seeking to ensure the party presented a single candidate for the position of senate president. However, the efforts of these leaders were prefaced by a selfish scheme to foist a particular candidate on the nation, in general, and the NASS in particular. It was a bad role for any father to play because those leaders openly showed preference for a particular candidate, Senator Ahmed Lawan. As progressives, we all should condemn any group of people who won’t help us reach our full potentials.

We saw a lot of people defecting to APC just because they won’t be allowed to reach their full potentials in their former party. Vice president Atiku Abubakar was said to have left PDP prior to 2007 elections because his potentials were being undermined by the PDP. Many people speculated that many of the big wigs who coalesced into APC would soon start leaving before the 2015 elections. We can recollect the inglorious exit of Chief Tom Ikimi after he alleged that the leadership position of the APC wasn’t open to all through a free and fair elections but that a closet selection was already being pre- arranged.

It is absolutely and morally right to say that any association a man belongs to where his potentials are being undermined is an unjust association. The senate is a composition of men who are elder statesmen from their individual communities saddled with responsibilities to make laws for the country. At their levels, judging by their antecedents, these men should at least be able to make sensible decision within themselves without interference from any quarters (Presidency or Party). If APC wishes to be a good father, it should have allowed the interested candidates’ slug it out through the right channel just as President Buhari advised.

2. SENATOR BUKOLA SARAKI’S STRUGGLE FOR THE POSITION. THE CROWN, THE CROSS AND THE PRICE.

This second dimension x-rays the gains and troubles that came with the office of Senate president given the circumstances that made it possible for Senator Bukola Saraki to attain the position. Some had classified and labelled Saraki as over ambitious, greedy and a betrayal. Let us once again check the facts available critically,p. We would see a selfless man whose selfless acts are almost a replica of the prophets’. No blasphemy intended but what we see in the actions of Prophet Noah who went through the troubles of building the Ark and calling all specie of different creations to come on board is nothing short of a selfless act, similar to what the Senate President exhibits.

It would have been a crime for a man like Senator Bukola Saraki to allow a seemingly incompetent man to mar the progress of APC, after-all Saraki was among the giants who fought through thick and thin in the last administration for the birth of APC, gave promises of glad tidings that the coming government will bring to the people and articulating the change theme.

To wear the crown you must carry the cross, if the masses are indeed to be considered, the leadership of the APC should allow the NASS perform to its full capacity, the deed had been done as we all know it and what amazes me so far is the responsible leadership the Senate has been able to deliver amidst the blackmail, harassment, distractions and all that Saraki has been going through since he assumed office. I can’t but wonder how effective he will be if he was allowed to focus on the Nigeria fixing project but one will expect that the masses who stands to be the victim in this whole NASS crisis should help the Senate to reduce the burden of the cross by being objective and ask where the primary interest of the national leadership of the APC lies, destroying Saraki or elevating the lives of the masses?

Senator Bukola Saraki so far has been pro-masses going by his visit to the Internally Displaced Persons, getting the NERC to restructure the fixed charges to the benefit of the people and abandon the bulk bill reduction, principled stand on rice waiver, passing a motion on the ban on importation of agricultural products, getting PDP members to give unanimous support to President Buhari amongst other and these are enough reasons for the leaders of APC to adopt and move along with him if indeed the betterment of the masses is the priority here.

Furthermore, I do have the conviction that the initially proposed candidate by a section of the leadership of APC for the SP position would have made a worse Senate President. The reason is that the candidate being pushed by that section of the APC leadership has not been productive. In all his years in the Senate, he has no single bill to his credit. Even now, he has not sponsored a single motion or make contribution to one.

3. WHO GAINS MORE FROM SENATOR SARAKI’S MOVE? THE MASSES PERSPECTIVE

The argument in the APC about the NASS seems to be proving that the leaders of APC are suffering from power syndrome with the way the issue is being handled.

One should ask why APC leadership seem to forget that Senator Bukola Saraki worked tirelessly for the success of the party during the electioneering period.

One also should ask why APC seem to forget that any senator duly elected is worthy of being a principal officer at the NASS.

We should also ask what could have been done better than how Saraki has been handling matters at the national assembly?

One other question pertinent is the usefulness of the senate in regards to the yearnings and cries of the common man on the street. The directive to review NERC Bulk billing by the senate is indeed pro masses after-all, a larger percentage of the masses are the main victims directly concerned on the subject matter.

Did we not all call for an independent NASS?

Did we not all worked tirelessly to abolish a controlled and rubber stamp NASS?

Did we not call for #OpenNass?

Why then do we want to throw our answered prayers away through blind bitterness, instead of looking inward and stop fighting a war we know nothing about or which does not concern us?

We all at this junction need to send out a message to all as concerned that the bigger picture of fixing this nation should be on everyone’s page.

The common Nigerian must ask why 81 senators plus two (that is Saraki and Ekweremadu) representing almost 80% of Nigeria went ahead in endorsing the leadership of the National Assembly, some people still feel the wishes of the minority must prevail over the majority. we also must ask what the leadership of the NASS has done for anybody to think that they are anti-masses?

It’s time to play our part by providing the most constructive criticism and voicing out our problems just like the NERC bulk billing and forget about the politics. At least, till the leadership of the NASS under Senator Bukola Saraki falls short of a responsible representation, we need to support them.

God bless.