This article may be unusual here as Socialetherapy Blog is bent on giving you articles that can change your life! Well, the idea I have for giving you this in not unconnected to that. Your social welfare is my concern.
So then, after reading the article, you should have been transformed socially. Happy reading...
The President of the Senate Senator David
Mark is emphatically an uncommon
statesman. Hate him or love him. It does not
diminish the incontrovertible fact that
Senator Mark has consistently stood out to
be counted when it matters in nation
building.
Even as a younger officer in the NIGERIAN
Army he was assigned a Herculean and an
unenviable task to settle NIGERIANS in Port
Harcourt now Rivers state in what was
dubbed abandoned properties saga after the
30 months old fratricidal civil war . To the
admiration of his superior officers and
indeed the nation, then Major Mark did an
excellent assignment and helped to
implement the Head of State General Yakubu
GOWON " No Victor, No Vanquished" as well
as the eventual Reconstruction, Resettlement
and Reconciliation (three Rs) between the
Biafrans and the rest of NIGERIANS.
As the then Military Governor of old Niger
state in the 80s, Senator Mark introduced
free and compulsory education for the girl-
child that was hitherto restricted from
acquiring education. Today Niger state ranks
among the states with the highest number of
girls in schools. All credit to Mark's initiative.
As a former Communications Minister he
revolutionized telecommunication from
analogue to digital network. He improved the
lots in the communications sector to the
extent that NITEL which heavily relied on
government subventions to survive became
buoyant and self sustaining.
It is instructive to note that Mark saw
tomorrow in telecommunications when he
insisted that NITEL should not be milked to
death by beneficiaries of its services refusing
to pay bills and propounded that " if you own a
telephone line , be prepared to pay for
services. " Today , what Mark proposed for
which he was vilified by not a few NIGERIANS
is what is operating with the emergence of
the Global Service for Mobile
Telecommunications (GSM). Today ,
Nigerians are happy buying air time on their
phones and enjoys the services no matter
how costly.
Let us not forget the point of this discuss that
Senator Mark has unarguably proven to be a
man of all seasons. He invoked the theory of
Doctrine of Necessity to save NIGERIA from
the precipice. Under him as President of the
Senate, he midwifed the passage of the
freedom of information bill into law so that
all Nigerians and not just media practitioners
to have unfettered access to information. He
also rose to the occasion when the Western
world attempted to foist an alien culture of
same sex Marraige into our culture and
tradition. Mark and his colleagues remain
steadfast and refused to compromise to the
bully of the western culture.
In presiding over the business of the Senate,
he has demonstrated uncommon leadership
acumen . Even his foes admires him. He is
fair, firm and just to all irrespective of
political party affiliation.
Last week , his mastery of legislative practice
and procedure came to the fore during the
screening and confirmation of Ministerial
nominees. The rival , All Progressive Congress
(APC) Senators had risen in strong opposition
to the screening and confirmation of Senator
Musliu Obanikoro from Lagos State on the
premise that he is a defendant in a case in
court over his alleged involvement in last
Gubernatorial election in Ekiti state. Their
argument was that Obanikoro should not be
considered or confirmed as a minister of the
Federal Republic since the case is still in
court.
But they met a stone wall because Senator
Mark is a stickler to the rules and procedures
of the Senate. There is a precedent in the
Senate to wit: that a Senator or a Member of
the House of Representatives nominated for
a ministerial position should not pass the crucibles of questions and answers because in the wisdom of the
upper legislative chamber, any person having
gone through the mill of legislative scrutiny
is not just qualified but a fit and proper
person .
That was the case of Obanikoro. Even if he
has a matter in court , our law presumes him
innocent until a court of competent
jurisdiction proves him guilty. Therefore , he
cannot be denied his rights and privileges not
just as a former Senator but a citizen of
NIGERIA.
This was the position upheld by Senator Mark
after the majority of Senators had given their
nod for Obanikoro to be cleared as fit and
proper person to be a minister of the federal
republic.
So whether the APC agrees to this proceeding
in this context is immaterial because this is
right thing that should be done and the
Senate indeed complied with its rules and
procedures.
We must not on account of party loyalty lose
sight of national interest and cohesion. What
makes for the good, peace, welfare and unity
of NIGERIA should and must always be the
watch word of the Senate. Again, Senator
Mark displayed uncommon maturity, sagacity
and statesmanship in presiding over the
ministerial screening.
Obafemi Tunji , political analyst wrote from
ABUJA.
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