A political Odyssey: The Rise And Impact Of Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara -By Adeyeye Eyitayo

Rt. Hon Yakubu Dogara is a Nigerian political personage, an astute lawyer and a leading light in the contemporary democratic space.

Dogara as  he is famously called

was born on born 26 December 1967.

He had his early education in Bauchi state before he proceeded to University of Jos, Plateau State, from where he obtained a Bachelor of Law (LLB Hons.) degree in 1992. He got called to the bar in 1993. He later obtained a Masters (LLM) in International Commercial Law at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland.

Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara had chalked up surfeit of experience in the cloistered legal practice before making a brave leap into arid terra firma of politics.

Crafting a befitting accolade for this colossus is really a herculean task. Yes, because he looms large on every stratus and he is difficult to sufficiently describe.

However, an attempt will be made to outline those specifics that have incised him on the minds of Nigerians as a political icon.

His political odyssey kicked off in 2005 when he was appointed as  Special Assistant to the then  Minister of State for Transport. A position he held  until 2006, when he contested and secured a seat as the Honourable representing  Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa-Balewa constituency of Bauchi state at the Federal House of Representatives.

As a member of the Sixth Assembly (2007-2011), Yakubu Dogara sponsored many bills and undertook several assignments, many of which have been beneficial to Nigerians even till this present day.

During the Sixth Assembly, Dogara chaired two important House committees, namely the House Committee on Customs and Excise, and the House Services Committee. At the same time, he was appointed as member of several adhoc committees to wit, Judiciary, Capital Markets and Institutions, Foreign Affairs, Rural Development and Power, among others.

Advancing  to the Seventh Assembly (2011-2015), Dogara served as Chairman of the committee on House Services and Welfare, and also as a member of others including Judiciary, Land Transport, Labour, Employment and Productivity, Steel Development, and Legislative Budget and Research.

It is needful to also mention that Dogara has blazingly sponsored several Bills in the course of his legislative career, some of which are; Data Protection Bill 2015, Federal Competition Commission Bill in 2011, a bill for an act to amend section 143 of the Nigerian Constitution in order to make the process of removal of the President and the Vice President (on charges of misconduct) less ambiguous, among others.

In 2015, after a keenly contested election, Dogara emerged as the Speaker of the Eight Assembly. The epoch of Dogara as the speaker of the hallowed chamber is still regarded as the best in the history of democracy in Nigeria.

The Dogara-led  House of Representatives witnessed an unprecedented record in 2015 when 130 bills passed first reading in one sitting and after a year in office, the house had passed a total of 85 Bills, the highest in the history of Nigeria’s National Assembly.

In recognition of his quintessential leadership,he was selected as leadership Newspaper’s Politician of the same year.

Dogara as the speaker also made history as the first ever Speaker to step down from his seat to sponsor a motion when he raised a motion on the urgent need for rehabilitation, reconstruction, recovery and development of the North-East zone of Nigeria. An unforgettable move that was met with commendation from different segments of the Nigerian population.

Even though  his tenure as the speaker of the House of Representative elapsed in 2019, it is indubitable that he has truly left an indelible mark in the history of Nigeria.

In 2019, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara formally announced his defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressive Party (APC), even though it was on the PDP platform he got re-elected to represent his Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa federal constituency of Bauchi State for the fourth consecutive time.

Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara is no doubt a political asteroid. He blasts through every “obstacle-sphere”, leaving awe and daze in his wake.

Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara is an enigma, and he will remain so even after he eventually retires from active politics.

References

^ “Yakubu Dogara news – latest breaking stories and top headlines”. TODAY. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
^ Krishi, Musa Abdullahi (9 June 2015). “Vote for independence of legislature, Dogara tells members”. Daily Trust. Daily Trust. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
^ “Official Webpage of Hon. Dogara Yakubu”. Nigerian National Assembly.
^ “Those Who Want to be Speaker”. This Day Live. This Day Newspapers. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
^ Ameh, John. “Capital Market Probe: Old Problem, New Investigators”. Punchng.com. The Punch Newspapers. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
^ “Corporate Manslaughter Bill will Check Companies’ Deadly Sloppiness – Rep. Dogara”. Daily Tust. Daily Trust. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
^ “House Seeks to Ease Impeachment of President, VP”. This Day Live. This Day Newspapers. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
^ “House of Representatives Federal Republic of Nigeria Order Paper” (PDF). National Assembly. Retrieved May 28, 2011