Rt Hon. Toby Okechukwu has today in a speech appreciated members of his constituent and colleagues as he ends his tenure as the deputy minority leader of the 9th National Assembly.

Hon. Okechukwu who has according to him crisscrossed various disciplines, from the Humanities to Management , Law and presently, a graduate student of Public Policy by experience says the opportunity was indeed a life time opportunity.

He also urged his esteemed colleagues to remain resilient and continue to interrogate the challenges within and outside, that threaten the Federal Republic that they have come to love and swore to defend.

The Publication reads;

“ I am immensely delighted to present to my highly esteemed colleagues and compatriots of the 9th National Assembly, these few valedictory words that encapsulate my gratitude to God and man for the privileged opportunity to serve our dear nation for 12 years as a national parliamentarian.

This parliament has come a long way since its inauguaration on the 12th of January, 1955, by John Mcpherson, with Sir Frederick Metacalfe of Great Britain as the first Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria He was replaced by the first indigenous Speaker, Jaja Wachukwu, in 1959. It is therefore safe to say that the House of Representatives remains a work in progress.

Nigerians loose hope when they think that the parliament is weak. This is because the parliament remains the bulwark of democracy. We must therefore remain resilient and continue to interrogate the challenges within and outside, that threaten this Federal Republic that we have come to love and sworn to defend.

My membership of the House of Representatives has given me the opportunity of a life time, as the House Committee Deputy Chairman on Ethics and Privileges, House Committee Chairman on Works and presently, the Deputy Minority Leader. I have crisscrossed various disciplines, from the Humanities to Management and Law and, presently, a graduate student of Public Policy and, by experience, Engineering, where I am presently an honorary Fellow of the Nigeria Society of Engineers, largely due to the legislative works we did in this Parliament and particularly, as the House Commiitee Chairman on Works.

Inspite of all these, there is no tutorial or lesson that can equal the tutorial and lesson you can learn from 360 professors of this parliament who come from different constituencies across this country. They have their perspectives and inclinations but they have all made me a better person in understanding Nigeria’s richness and its contradictions.

If I have succeeded, it is largely due to their kindness and goodwill. If I have failed, I take full responsibility. A friend of mine, Hon. Chinda, recently made a remarkable observation on live television that “monkey sabi jump because tree near tree.” if I have made progress, it is because of my colleagues in this chamber and in particular, the abiding love of my constituents from Aninri/Awgu/Oji River. That love remains up till today and that has remained a significant part of why I dedeicated my time here to serve them. From empowerment, to infrastructure by way of roads, schools, programmes, power improvement, bills and motions. Of remarkable significance in our legislative interventions, alongside the senate, is the breaking of the jinx of the 2nd Niger bridge, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Abuja to Kano and Bode Bonny Bridge. These were infrastructures mired by the Public-Private Partnership conundrum. We intervened through motions and public hearings and we succeeded. The COREN Act amendment to solve the problem of quackery in the engineering profession, was also passed and signed.

Mr. Speaker, Hon. Collegaues, the National Assembly has experienced its successes and traumas. We have seen Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila move from a very vibrant and important opposition leader to a tranquil majority leader as well as a struggling speaker, continually finding it difficult but dutifully defending the policies, actions or inactions of the government and party in power.

You have recently been appointed Chief of Staff to Mr. President. My very warm congratulations. Moving from the House after six terms is quite instructive. You were 3 steps away from the Presidency in our order of succession but you have now moved to the presidency through the backdoor, simply a call to duty.

It is therefore a fascinating seismic shift where the President was a Senator and a Governor; Vice President, a Senator and a Governor; First lady, a Senator; the Secretary to the Government, a Senator and a Governor; Chief of Staff, a veteran Parliamentarian and Speaker. For the first time in our history, we have quite an uncanny composition of those who have seen Nigeria in its beauty and nakedness. We have no reason to be afraid. In his inaugural address in 1933, Franklin Roosvelt asserted his “firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Also, here, we have witnessed the parliament stand firm and demonstrated its historic resilience. Speaker Tambuwal had to disguise alongside his deputy, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, to contest and win their positions. Parliamentarians and the present speaker had to climb fences to defend this parliament. At another time, Senator Abubakar Saraki had to disguise and be smuggled into the National Assembly to avert arrest and still presided over the Senate. At other time, it was Senator Ike Ekweremadu who had to witness the invasion of the senate and the carting away of its symbol of authortity, the mace. In spite of all these travails, we stood firm.

There is no gain saying that these combat situations were good sport for the optics and pleasing to some members of the public. I believe that we acted for the common good.

It is therefore understandable, when Nigerians do not discern when a party has a dominant majority in parliament that is willing to carry through the wishes of the party in power. All put together, the 9th Assembly has been able to regularise the budget circle, passed the Petroleum Industry Act and amended the Electoral Act that today represents a landmark democratic leap.

As this session closes, we must say farewell before we meet again. I want to thank my friends in this parliament, my constituents, my wife, Uche and children, Ikedi, Sonia, Nnamdi and Uli ,for standing by me.

For the bills on Road Fund and Road Management that we passed twice in the 8th and 9th Assemblies which were not assented to by Mr. President, the improvement of our Road infrastructure “will remain a fleeting illusion to be pursued but never attained,” as expressed by Haile Selassie. Yet, I enjoin the 10th Assembly to follow up on this as practised in other jurisdictions. That is the science to better road.

Thank you my colleagues and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

TOBY OKECHUKWU
DEPUTY MINORITY LEADER