Thank You Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila:- Please Do Not Wake Me Up From This Dream - Congressman Bimbo Daramola.

The video of a woman surfaced on the social media about three days ago, the video showed a frustrated and exasperated woman, sweating profusely, slapping her legs as she spoke.

She was angry. She begged and begged. Unsure that any one would listen, she just needed to speak before busting.

Severally she exclaimed in pidgin English, "..#wetin! #wetin!! #make #una #help #us #now! Make una help us now! Haba... she screamed as she went on and on.

Her visage was that of another helpless and hapless Nigerian, in the throes of despondency and in despair.

When I saw the video, my heart sank and broke, because I said to myself, if I were back in the parliament, it certainly would have elicited another angry Mr. Speaker....Point of Order motion from me.

Sometimes what the ordinary Nigerian wants is a leadership that listens, that can emphatise, if not sympathetic. That can connect with the realities of the less powerful.

Nigerians, the ordinary ones like me want a leadership whose body language and attitude does not convey exploitation of our "ordinariness" but meek enough to admit that we are at the very worst, base human beings, like those in the privileged class, we understand that positions may confer privileges and perks but we want our leaders to show sensitivity.

This I believe was what the Speaker of the House of Representatives demonstrated about two days ago.

I saw Speaker Gbajabiamila looking a little bit scruffy, I must commend his minders for that picture, he cut the image of a man who most likely had been in isolation too, and he was not wearing flowing Agbada of the privileged class, not clean shaven, rather spotted a light green shirt, two top buttons off, that cuts the image of a man also in our kind of situation, like one of us.

Mr Speaker had called a meeting of four people, even as the house is in recess, that must be acknowledged, I cannot recognise any of them at the meeting from the video, but I later read that those in attendance included Minister of Power and Representatives of the GENCOS and DISCOS.

Mr. Speaker did what he should do, he opened the meeting with that same video of the ordinary Nigerian shouting and lamenting...obviously with that he scored a hat trick! He was speaking for the people!!!

He had discharged the burden of the house of Representatives and the people that he leads as numero uno.

He had taken the burden of the people as their number one representative and convened that meeting at the instance of the angry vituperation of that Nigerian, expressive of millions others.

That is what a representative should do. He had discharged the understanding and the expectation of that office even without the house being in session, or any resolutions of the house from plenary at this instance.

The Minister of Power responded and I heard the Speaker pleaded, "....you cannot say the people should be at home and they are kept without light..., which is a way of saying , if they stock up for two weeks, the food will surely go bad, apart from the unbearable heat from the atmosphere and their pockets, the speaker must have meant.

I did not think much will come out of the "#moralsuation" sitting of the "#onemanmemberplenary".

But two days later I can attest to it that that #one #man #plenary worked!

When I saw that video, I just added my comment, I added ...hmmm.... this is my story! And I shared it, honestly not expecting too much out of it.

I live in an area of town that can best be described as one of the relics and vestiges of the decimated and disappearing "middle class" in Abuja.

For three months I have been under the burden of running my generator for 8hours daily! I was creaking under that financial burden and it became worse when the stay at home order was passed before the Presidential lock in and lock down.

My generator was under the pressure of running for more hours now as we all had to stay at home! Mehhnnnn... I was going bonkers! My blood was boiling daily.

This was the topic of discussion with anyone who calls me, the tiny hole that was being drilled in my stretched pocket as an IDP(if you know, you know) was becoming a gaping one.

The now permanent ZZzzzzzzz sound was making me cranky sun up to sun down, and there was no reprieve in sight or so it seemed.

Before then it was same scenario from office to my home and vice versa! Without any reprieve in sight or so I thought.

And BOOM last night , I decided to go stretch my bones and got back at 8pm. As I made the last turn to my street, I did not hear the various musical tenor notes from the different generators of my neighbours "singing in different keys" under the influence of their different sizes, years of usage and the flogging they had received some accompanied by fumes bellowed into our space like a factory.

I saw that the houses around had electricity, I was shocked and not excited, I just hissed but noticed it, under my breath I cursed " "awon were!!" ki lari"? Because I knew it will be short lived.

So I hissed and went to take a bath as I kicked of my work out gear. I got into the bathroom, and was expecting the light to go off, the light was on, Haha, i came out, light was on, opened my fridge, I found a cold beer, I said Haha, is this man on duty today? Abi he forgot? Or someone holding him hostage? Well, still not excited.

I was in this mood and I slept off as I was catching up with the spiking figures of CORONA VIRUS nationwide.

I woke up at 5.23am. My generator was not buzzing, that of my neighbours were not, the environment was quiet and sane, my room was cool, and I tapped myself to "wake me up again"

And then I began to ask how did this happen? What has gone wrong not right!

The ONLY INTERVENTION that I could remember was the meeting of Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila at the instance of that wailing woman in the video about "..make una help us.

Mr Speaker, even without being in plenary, without a point of order from any member, or personal explanation or intervention by way of petition by a member on behalf of any constituent, you took responsibility and intervened as number one representative that has the entire nation as your constituency by reason of your position. This is very salutary sir.

Reminded me of my time with you as minority leader, leader of opposition at the 7th house, when we fought on the side of the people, you have showed that streak in this instance again.

I must thank you for being so responsive, to listen to us as prompted by that video, you have discharged the duty and obligation thrusted upon you well with this intervention.

I am not sure where this woman resides, but I hope she also has this cheery story to tell, her social media protest has brought me and my neighbours such a reprieve, I hope more Nigerians by extension, I want to thank you Madam for not keeping quiet.

That's why keeping quiet sometimes immolates us.

I dont know how long this relief will be for, but for this one night, I on behalf of many who are in the same boat want to say thank you again to Mr Speaker, of course to the woman who protested, the Minister who promised to take the issue up with Central Bank Governor, the Central Bank Governor who I believed also must have acted promptly to release money to the GENCOs I guess . Thank y'all.

It's amazing the difference that a sensitive and responsive leadership can make in the life of ordinary people, this is actually what is needed to rebrand the parliament into the warm embrace of the often very and over indulgent followership that we are as Nigerians.

Speaker Gbajabiamila has showed that and I cannot but acknowledge it.

I certainly will not take it for granted, if you had not, last night would have been like the others before it and the mobile diesel supplier would have been tapping my gate for fresh supplies now, knowing what I had gone through in the past three months.

As I said, without being pessimistic,I dont know how long this will be for, but I want to enjoy this moment.. I am going back to bed.

They still have not taken it yet.

#Congressman #Bimbo #Daramola
#Abuja
#Nigeria

Them dey try for my side sha...even before the lockdown, 22 hours on the average, sometimes 24 hours at a stretch for a week.

daddytime:
Them dey try for my side sha...even before the lockdown, 22 hours on the average, sometimes 24 hours at a stretch for a week.

Where are you located? Heaven?

Kingofpalmgroov:


Where are you located? Heaven?

Heaven, FCT-Abuja

daddytime:


Heaven, FCT-Abuja

Ok. Enjoy