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NASS REPUBLIC: Responding to attacks on INEC facilities. Two other stories, and a quote to remember

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The House of Representatives, last week, resolved to investigate the spate of attacks on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) offices across the country.

We tracked two other stories from the National Assembly within the week under review.

1. Responding to attacks on INEC

On November 30, the House of Representatives adopted the motion passed by Hon. Olarewaju Ibrahim, representing Ido/Osi/Moba/Ilejemeje Federal Constituency of Ekiti State, to investigate the attacks on INEC’s facilities.

“If these systematically orchestrated attacks on personnel and facilities of INEC are not checked, the actions are capable of disrupting the 2023 General Elections,” Ibrahim said.

Ibrahim is right. The attacks have the potential of sabotaging the forthcoming elections, and weaken Nigeria’s democracy.

It, therefore, throws a challenge to the security agencies to investigate, and prosecute the criminal elements perpetrating the attacks.

Furthermore, it is a call on Nigerians to rise and defend democracy from being destroyed by a small band of retrogressive forces.

NASS MEMORY LANE

Who said;

“This is my third year in the National Assembly, we have never discussed any of the recovered (Abacha) loot. We just sit down and we hear that the executive recovered loot and allot the same to projects that they so desire.”
Answer: See end of post

Two other stories

2. Onyejeocha’s treatise on politics
REPS SPEAKERSHIP: Only female contestant Onyejeocha quits race

The Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, on November 29 argued that politics was not a bad career.

Onyejeocha said this when she awarded scholarship to secondary school students, in her Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency of Abia State, to mark her birthday.

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“Politics is not a bad career as people make you believe. If you say it is bad, then you have to be actively involved as good citizens to make it attractive. If you leave it in the hands of bad people, who then will build the better society you want.”

Onyejeocha’s submission couldn’t be further from the truth. In a society where politics is dominated by dirty games, driven largely by selfish interests of politicians who fail to fulfil promises, it is commonplace to see it as a bad career.

While Onyejeocha did well in correcting the wrong impression in the minds of the young ones, she must admit that unless our politicians turn a new leaf, the bad image would continue to exist.

3. Lawan’s recipe for vote-buying

On November 30, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, called for the inclusion of lessons against vote-buying in civil education curricula of primary and secondary schools in the country.

Lawan made the call when he received Polling Unit Ambassadors of Nigeria at the National Assembly in Abuja.

He said: “Citizens should grow up knowing that vote-buying or vote-selling is criminal. We need to work on both fronts. While we arrest and prosecute those that are involved in vote-buying and selling, we should also ensure education like you are doing now, going around to say this is bad. This is wrong.”

Lawan’s call amplifies the scourge of vote-buying in Nigeria’s electoral system, and his submission calls for a thorough value and moral re-orientation that would see the malaise stamped out from the voting behaviour of the growing youth population.

Beyond the clamour for a curriculum change in schools to improve voting behaviour, the Senate President must give vent to his ideas by leading institutional changes on a sustainable basis. To act otherwise would amount to paying lip service to the avowed mission.

Answer: Dachung Musa Bagos
Bagos, who represents Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency of Plateau State, made the statement on August 24, 2022, in a chat with Channels Television.

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