Some N’Assembly members can barely write their names– Ekweremadu
October 16, 2012 by Emmanuel Obe 15 Comments
Senator Ike Ekweremadu


Deputy President of the Senate, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, has lamented the low quality of leaders in the country.

He frowned on the educational quality of some National Assembly members, saying they can barely write their names.

Ekweremadu stated this in Awka, the Anambra State capital on Monday while delivering the 2012 Zik Lecture Series organised by the state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists. The lecture was entitled, ‘True Federalism and the Political Ideology of the Great Zik’.

He said it was still a surprise to him that as educationally advanced as the South-East “we still send to the National Assembly some people who can barely write their names”.

Ekweremadu, who described the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe as a knowledgeable leader, said without knowledgeable leadership, the country was heading nowhere.

According to the lawmaker, the country needs leaders that are patriotic, selfless, knowledgeable, incorruptible, who have a lot of integrity and who will always put country first.

He said, “For Nigeria’s, particularly, low development or rather lack of it has been variously traced to successive national leadership.”

Ekweremadu said though a proper federal structure and an error-free constitution were desirable, without purposeful and transformational leadership, they would not help the situation in the country .

He said, “Even the best constitution or federal structure in the world cannot yield the best of democracy dividends or drive the lofty dreams of a nation unless there is a general commitment by the leadership and citizens alike to live by the principles and letters of that constitution and the norms that promote development.”

Ekweremadu added that Nigerian leaders had often mistaken stubbornness and arrogance as principles in politics, saying “this hasrobbed Nigerians of great opportunities of linking up with modernity and technology”.

He added, “Leaders who cannot think beyond their immediate environment have nothing new to offer their people.”

Ekweremadu urged Nigerian leaders to adopt sound principles like Azikiwe did in his days so that they could lead the country into the elite corps of nations.

First son of Azikiwe and Owelle of Onitsha, Chief Chukwuma Azikiwe, said for any leadership to have meaning it must identify with the downtrodden.

He said, “If our farmers and the have-nots are empowered, then they will impact our economy and themselves.”

http://www.punchng.com/news/some-nassembly-members-can-barely-write-their-names-ekweremadu/

He said it was still a surprise to him that as educationally advanced as the South-East “we still send to the National Assembly some people who can barely write their names”.

Nawa oooooooo!

This assertion is not incorrect.A typical example is Hon.Rotimi Makinde from Osun. The yoruba genre actor turned politician representing the ACN is a disgrace to the state of the living spring.

What's even the business of sending a complete nonentity to National Assembly?
If a man can not write his name, what on earth can he write?

Author: Dahiru Maishanu
Posted to the web: 12/14/2005 7:56:31 AM

The political caesarean surgical operation the Sokoto State administration has been receiving of late has brought light to many salient issues, which were hitherto, swept under the carpet. Commentators have bared their minds on the activities of the state government and the major political actors within the government circle. The governor and his close associates had received a sort of a baptism of fire with facts and figures thrown at their footsteps.

I intentionally allowed for this time before attempting to kick-start yet another discourse in the political development of our state. The G23 group has accused the members of the State Assembly of allowing the state government a field day in squandering the resources of the state. This, according to the group, was done through awarding and executing white elephants that are only prosecuted for graft in order to line the pockets of the Governor and his cronies in conjunction with members of the House. The members themselves have proven to be complacent with the way things are going on in the way and manner they conduct themselves both in public and in private. The way they flaunt wealth and try to wield power is disproportionate to their parliamentarian positions.

To say there is a clear, flagrant abuse of office and privileges by the legislators is to say the obvious. To say there is an obvious and open connivance in squandering the resources of the state between the executive and the legislature is also to say the gospel truth. The fall out of all these is the continued backwardness of the state in almost all fields of endeavours. The sheer prevalence of illiteracy, disease and lack of basic survival amenities in the state has already reached chronic proportion. The opulence and affluence flagrantly being displayed by members of the legislature also confirm there is something ratty in their kitty.

The majority of the members constitute a bunch of semi illiterates and illiterates who find themselves into an experiment that is beyond their wildest imagination. These are people who are mostly hand picked by the so-called political godfathers who themselves are as guilty as the members they foisted on us in terms of having little or no education at all.

Although, the 1979 democratic experience had its own problems and I, personally was very young when it took place, but I can still remember the velvet voice of Mahmuda Shehu Yabo ranting the air daily on our radio sets from the House of Assembly. Similarly, I can still remember the immaculate figure of Abdullahi Bayero on the pages of the newspapers as one of the leading lights in that democratic dispensation. Gone indeed are the days when the GNPP presented a formidable opposition that squarely challenged the excesses of the NPN led executive.

Today, there is no real opposition in the House, thanks to the threats, intimidation and monetary inducements that have been flowing from the executive to the legislature. All the members are from the ruling party; ANPP and almost all of them belong to the Bafarawa-Kwabo camp, a camp that is ruthlessly not friendly with any iota of opposition from any quarters.

The godfathers of politics in Sokoto today are either illiterates or at best semi-illiterates in this city that was once the fountain of knowledge for the whole of the Sudan. These godfathers continue to produce candidates that are at most at par with them, shunning the educated, whom they believe would end up becoming a scourge of sorts to them later. They have a venomous hatred for the educated.

The Sokoto legislature has the highest number of school leavers as members among the states of the federation. More than 60% of deliberations are conducted in Hausa language as opposed to English, the official language of the country and the constitution. This is due to the preponderance in the House, of members whose level of spoken English is to say the least elementary.

The few graduates and seasoned former civil servants serving in the House are actually more frustrated than all of us. They are the ones that are on the receiving end of all the inadequacies of the House. They have first hand experience of the naivety and foolhardiness of the majority of their colleagues. We share their sorrow and helplessness in this unfortunate situation they find themselves.

While I’m still writing this piece, news has just filtered in, that the State House of Assembly, the subject matter of this article has just set up a committee to investigate the state Governor over allegations of money laundering and ownership of a house in London as widely reported in the press. This news really came to me as a surprise and attempts to rubbish all that I have written above. The action of the House is not only welcome, but also long over due. My first instinct is to congratulate the members.

On a second thought however, I think one has to be careful not to allow oneself to be swallowed by a kangaroo or arrangee machinations of politicians aimed at turning our intellectual psyche upside down. My fear is that based on the characteristics of the majority of the members and even some of the members of the committee set up by the House, we may be into a sort of abracadabra, the more you look, the less you see.

My suspicion is that all these might have come from the Government House, coming on the heels of the recent experience of DSP Alamieyeseigha, the former Bayelsa state governor. Like I always say, what the Bafarawas and Umarun Kwabos lack in education, they have plenty, in political manoeuvres and abracadabra.

The simple logic here is for the House to give the governor a clean bill of health and pre-empt all efforts of the EFCC into continuing any investigations they might be doing on the alleged wrong deeds of the governor. Based on these little voices coming through my mind, for now I want to hold onto my earlier comments on the members in this piece.

If the intention of the House is however, borne out of genuine love for the state, then we must support and encourage them. If they can turn the tide against the various accusations levelled against them, including the ones above, then it would be better for citizens of the state. Once again congratulations for this first step, but the subsequent steps would be the ultimate determinants of whether to say it is indeed Uhuru

The Sokoto legislature has the highest number of school leavers as members among the states of the federation. More than 60% of deliberations are conducted in Hausa language as opposed to English, the official language of the country and the constitution. This is due to the preponderance in the House, of members whose level of spoken English is to say the least elementary.

quite revealing.

Nawa o

Damn!

While those of us who can not only write our names, write our biography but that of generations barely have the opportunity of a legitimate gainful employment or resource to practice our passion for a better and prosperous future : Hmmmmmmmmmmmm, what a country.

Christ!! I don't blame them. It's the fault of voters.

Olalekan 0: This assertion is not incorrect.A typical example is Hon.Rotimi Makinde from Osun. The yoruba genre actor turned politician representing the ACN is a disgrace to the state of the living spring.

it does nt mean someoNe is actor and can't able to write plz use dis forum on nuetral level than sentiment

And they want to teach Ngozi & Aganga Economics

And we expect this country to move forward . The constitution should be amended to raise the educational requirements of our elected politicians. This is not good, kai.

Whereas, they preach so much on Nigeria educational system.

Na wa o naija a place where anything goes, how on earth did they get to the National Assembly

Biggyd2: And we expect this country to move forward

we willl push them forward by force by fire, nigeria engined don knocked down patapata

luvinhubby: And they want to teach Ngozi & Aganga Economics

I wonder my brother!!!

egbetokuns: it does nt mean someoNe is actor and can't able to write plz use dis forum on nuetral level than sentiment

are you an actor too? Because what you wrote here is ...

born2fuck: we willl push them forward by force by fire, nigeria engined don knocked down patapata

Na wa o. To imagine that these are our law makers. Just imagine the type of laws they will churn out for Nigerians. Legislators indeed!

The godfathers of politics in Sokoto today are either illiterates or at best semi-illiterates in this city that was once the fountain of knowledge for the whole of the Sudan. These godfathers continue to produce candidates that are at most at par with them, shunning the educated, whom they believe would end up becoming a scourge of sorts to them later. They have a venomous hatred for the educated.





The Sokoto legislature has the highest number of school leavers as members among the states of the federation. More than 60% of deliberations are conducted in Hausa language as opposed to English, the official language of the country and the constitution. This is due to the preponderance in the House, of members whose level of spoken English is to say the least elementary.


Completely unsurprising

egbetokuns: it does nt mean someoNe is actor and can't able to write plz use dis forum on nuetral level than sentiment

I hope you won't vie for political office someday too. Hehehe

SPECIAL CENTER AT WORK

egbetokuns: it does nt mean someoNe is actor and can't able to write plz use dis forum on nuetral level than sentiment

This is the problem with the system. You are defending him because your writen English is no better than the accused.

I know one such character (Hon. Emmanuel 'something') that used to represent a constituency in Anambra State at the House of Representatives during the last dispensation. Dude was notable for being an embarrassment to all that is honourable. . . stark illiterate who could barely replicate his own signature, let alone write his name. He was always clutching a newspaper more as a fashion assessory; no one ever saw him actually reading a newspaper or anything else printed on paper - although they say he was fond of looking at pictures, probably because that does not require literacy or comprehension.

Ironically, this fool's motorcade was always probably longer than that of the Speaker, and his siren, arguably the loudest among National Assembly members. He was so proud of his high-profile illiteracy that he had to resort to such shameless ostentation to display/announce it whenever he was on the move. Frankly, Nigeria is a comedy of errors; a theatre of the absurd where anything is possible.

government of the people by the people and for the people (dey must be crazy)

They can't write their names bt they can write MONEY

Adult education can help them out.

pro01: I know one such character (Hon. Emmanuel 'something') that used to represent a constituency in Anambra State at the House of Representatives during the last dispensation. Dude was notable for being an embarrassment to all that is honourable. . . stark illiterate who could barely replicate his own signature, let alone write his name. He was always clutching a newspaper more as a fashion assessory; no one ever saw him actually reading a newspaper or anything else printed on paper - although they say he was fond of looking at pictures, probably because that does not require literacy or comprehension.

Ironically, this fool's motorcade was always probably longer than that of the Speaker, and his siren, arguably the loudest among National Assembly members. He was so proud of his high-profile illiteracy that he had to resort to such shameless ostentation to display/announce it whenever he was on the move. Frankly, Nigeria is a comedy of errors; a theatre of the absurd where anything is possible.

I agree