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By Chekwube Nzomiwu
The ascendancy of His Excellency, Godswill Akpabio to the exalted position of the Senate President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, did not come as a surprise to Nigerians conversant with his political career, cutting across the executive and legislative arms of government at the state and federal level. From holding different portfolios as a Commissioner in Akwa-Ibom State, he became the Governor of the oil-rich State, serving meritoriously for two tenures from 2007 and 2015.
While visiting Akwa Ibom State in 2013, the then President of Ghana, John Mahama described Akpabio as a good example of leadership in Africa. An elated Mahama said what he saw on ground through numerous projects indicated a testimony of what true leadership could do to transform peoples lives.
After serving as Governor, Akpabio went to the 8th Senate where he served as minority leader. From the Senate, he proceeded to serve as the Minister in charge of Niger Delta Affairs from 2019 until 2022, when he voluntarily resigned to vie for the presidential primary election of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC). At the Eagle Square in Abuja, the venue of the primary election, he respectfully stepped down for an elder of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who eventually clinched the ticket. The APC rewarded him with a senatorial ticket and the rest is history.
Today, as the number three citizen of the country, Akpabio is dutifully presiding over the affairs of the upper chamber in the National Assembly, doing so with finesse, experience, confidence, profound insight, wisdom, emotional intelligence and exceptional organizational ability. The first test for him came when President Tinubu forwarded the list of his ministerial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, in fulfillment of Section 147 (2) of the Constitution.
To ensure that only the best scaled through, the Senate President conducted the screening in the most democratic and transparent manner, allowing the senators the space to grill all the nominees, with the exception of former senators and other lawmakers who were asked to “take a bow and go” in line with the tradition of the Senate. The screening exercise was no holds barred as the distinguished senators questioned the nominees on their educational background, including certificates paraded, age and previous public service records.
The nominees were also questioned about their private life and even comments credited to them in the media. Finally, they were asked what they intended to bring to the table if cleared to serve as members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
I recall vividly how the Senate President foiled the attempt by one of the senators from Imo State to shield the state’s nominee from the scrutiny of the Senate, although she was never a lawmaker. On the prompting of the Senate President, the senators bombarded the lady with prying questions bordering on her choice of banking career after rigorous medical education and even marital life.
Similarly, Akpabio’s “churchillian” experience again came to play in the screening of Bosun Tijani, the current Minister of Communication, Digital Economy and Innovation who senators confronted with tweets he made against the country in the past. Like a father, the Senate President on behalf of his colleagues, accepted the apology of the youthful Tijani, and after being questioned by senators, he asked him to bow and go. His sagacity also saved Festus Keyamo SAN, the current Aviation Minister, who incurred the wrath of senators for violating Senate summons while serving as the Minister of State for Labour and Employment in the immediate past administration.
All these happened in the public glare as the screening of the ministerial nominees was televised live by major television networks. Owing to security report, the Senate withheld the confirmation of three ministerial nominees, including a powerful ex-governor who many Nigerians thought was above the law.
Piqued by the overwhelming success that the 10th Senate recorded in the ministerial screening, traducers of the Senate President are now trying to make an issue out of an innocuous comment he made at the final plenary sitting before the Senate embarked on recess. Akpabio who obviously forgot that media cameras were still rolling, told his colleagues that the clerk had sent a token to their accounts to enable them enjoy their holidays. Incidentally, the mistakenly aired information was meant for the consumption of the senators only and not the public.
When some senators reminded the Senate President that he was still live on television, he quickly tried to correct himself using his experience as a former image maker of one of the pioneer telecommunications companies in Nigeria, telling his colleagues that he sent messages to their e-mail boxes. Painfully, some beneficiaries were among those who went to the media to make a mountain out of a morehill.
Thankfully, the Clerk of the National Assembly eventually came out with a statement, saying without any ambiguity that there was nothing unusual about the money. According to the Clerk “lawmakers are entitled to a recess allowance, which is 10 percent of the annual basic salary of each legislator and is paid once a year” and was budgeted for. So, what is all the fuss about?
Unfortunately, a settled matter is now being amplified in the media by traducers of the Senate President, engaging the services of all kinds of phony individuals and organisations to mount a campaign of calumny against his person. A few days ago, an organisation, claiming the mandate of Niger Delta Women, demanded for his resignation over the “holiday allowance.”
The faceless group threatened to mobilize one million women protest to the National Assembly, if he failed to drop the gavel within one month. They told the senators to stand up and vote out Akpabio if he did not tender his resignation within one month. However, what they failed to say is the offence that he committed to warrant his resignation.
Sincerely speaking, every Nigerian, this writer inclusive, is groaning over the current economic hardship occasioned by recent difficult policies of the federal government. But, the truism is that Akpabio neither introduced fuel subsidy nor removed it.
Rather, in line with the resolution of the Senate, he brought the organised labour and the government side to a roundtable where issues bordering on the welfare of workers and Nigerians in general, were discussed. The government has started the implementation of the palliative policy to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal on the masses.
In my opinion, Sen. Akpabio is being crucified, not because of any wrongdoing, but his honesty. What else if not honesty would have made a Senate President to announce to his colleagues at plenary that their genuine allowances have been paid?
The call for his removal reminded me of the proverbial ‘banana peel” at the Senate, during the presidency of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, which witnessed the highest turnover of Senate Presidents in eight years, all from the South East geo-political zone of the country. The Obasanjo era (199-2007) has remained the lowest point in our legislative experience since 1960.
After the Obasanjo era, the Senate has witnessed normal transitions from one administration to the other, resulting in numerous constitutional amendments and enactment of useful laws for promotion of accountability and good governance in the country, including the Petroleum Industry Act, Fiscal nd Responsibility Act, Freedom of Information Act and Electoral Act amendments, among others.
In conclusion, I will advise those attacking Akpabio to desist from doing so henceforth if they mean well for this great country. It is my view that he should be given a chance to contribute in turning Nigeria around, just like he did in Akwa Ibom State as Governor. Please, Nigeria needs transformational leaders now, more than ever
•Nzomiwu, a public affairs analyst writes from Awka, Anambra State.
