THE SYNTHESIS OF APPRAISAL :THE CLASSICAL CASE OF THE MEMBERS, BENUE STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY

Ignorance when ignored for a long time begin to sound like facts. Hence, the need to address this issue of constituents using wrong parameters to assess their representatives in the Benue State House of Assembly.

My intention is not to hold brief for anyone, but to draw some thought patterns and juxtapositions. Ignorance of the workings of the Benue State House of Assembly should not be used to promote negative perceptions for leaders who sincerely are doing their best as we approach another election circle.

The most critical point to note is that depending on the style of governance in a state, most State Houses of Assemblies in Nigeria operates in different patterns,aside their statutory constitutional responsibilities(Law making).

But for the high level of poverty and the introduction of stomach infrastructure into our leadership deliverables, the State Houses of Assembly are primarily to make laws that will enhance good governance by the executives.

This analysis should be given a deeper thought and reflection, otherwise legislative turn over which will rob us of valuable experience will be prevalent, because complaints of non performance will be a recurring decimal.

I will continue by setting the following foundations:

1. Do you know that before the members of the State Houses of Assembly came into power for the very first term, whatever charitable and philanthropic gestures to their constituents is from private savings or funding?

2.Will you agree with me that as rational human beings, the very moments they get elected, their welfare and developmental plans for the constituents will be subject to the largesse inherent in their position? This means no matter how rich they are, it will be difficult for them to be spending their saved private resources to service their constitutes?

3.Do you know that the current Benue State Government allegedly operates a frugal economy? This means most state functionaries do not have access to fundings that were hitherto available in previous administration. The supposition is, how do they survive aside their statutory salaries and allowances to engage in an all round welfarism?

4. Please, do note that the Benue State Government do have an override on every project proposed for every local Government, therefore, the failure or otherwise to see project(s) in your local Government is not the fault of your state legislature, but the style of governance in the State where I think the State House of Assembly is emasculated.

5.Are you aware that the Benue State Government is not a borrowing Government? A borrowing Government usually have a trade – off with their state legislators for loan approval. This trade – off put some monies in the purse of the individual legislature. This spoils of office could trigger stomach infrastructure and other sundry rural projects in the constituents.

6.Do you care to know the constituency service fund made available to your legislature and compare it with what has been done in the constituents or you are assuming the legislatures are collecting huge constituency service allowances and using it for personal aggrandizement?

7.Before you pick a fight or plan to change your legislature for non-performance, have you taken time to do an apple for apple analytics of the performances of other legislators in the Benue State House of Assembly or narrow it to Senatorial District by District to be sure of the impact of your representative before trading a lion for a dog?

8.The information you are relying on to conclude that your legislature is not performing, where are you getting it from? Is it from his or her political opponents, grapevines, quasi officials quarters or a malicious creation of wicked and unreasonable humans?

9. Bringing the performance home, can you do a comparative analysis of all the representative you know over time and compare their impact in your local Government to be sure if your current legislature has perform better or not. Don’t forget that in the land of the blind, a one eye person is King!

I can go on and on to buttress my introspection. However, before you judge people and to take any political decisions in terms of who to support, some of these basic analytics are very required.

Ignorance is a major factor in our leadership selection process. The politicians knowing these dwell in the superfluous which has made us to continue to fight for or queue behind the wrong political leadership. The resultant consequences is the dilapidated society we have where hope is becoming hopelessness.

Please, strive to know the truth for only the truth can set you free.

-Chief Odatse-Peters Kelvin, PhD, FIPESA, MICMC, MNES
22 /05 /26