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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
A media-cum-Civil Society Organization (CSO), OrderPaper Nigeria, has shortlisted the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and 19 other members of the 9th Assembly as semi-finalists in the country’s Most Valuable Parliamentarian (MVP) Hall of Fame.
Apart from Kalu, others shortlisted, in six different categories, for the MVP Hall of Fame include Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbjabimiala; Chief Whip, House of Representatives, Mohammed Monguno; Senator Uba Sani; Samuel Onuigbo, among others.
The CSO in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Oke Epia, said that the shortlist comprises a female Senator, two Principal Officers, two Presiding Officers and 10 first-term lawmakers across party lines from both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Epia explained that the MVP Hall of Fame initiative is in furtherance of OrderPaper’s contributions to strengthening the legislature and promoting improved service delivery in the National Assembly.
He noted that the aim is to identify and sustain a distinct class of legislators who are performance-driven, excellence-inspired, and public-spirited.
According to him, “ having undertaken an independent, thorough and unprecedented data-driven annual performance appraisals of the 469-member 9th National Assembly since its first anniversary in 2020, the organisation deemed it appropriate and timely to commence instituting the Most Valuable Parliamentarian (MVP) Hall of Fame.
“The annual appraisals focused exclusively on the core legislative function of law-making, and consideration for the MVP nomination and subsequent shortlisting essentially applied the criteria of Value, Impact, and Productivity in rating the contributions of those shortlisted.”
Epia added that the initiative “is designed to applaud and encourage exemplary leadership by leaders guided by a community of practice in productive partnerships between the Legislature, Civil Society and the citizenry in Nigeria. Designed by OrderPaper Nigeria and implemented in collaboration with renowned Civil Society partners, the MVP Hall of Fame is not driven by any pecuniary motive whatsoever.
“OrderPaper reiterates that while it acknowledges that bills processing is not the only function of legislators, it is undoubtedly the most important; and measurement of performance on that score is based strictly on the sanctity of incontrovertible data, unlike performance measured against representation and oversight, which are the other statutory functions of legislators. “
