Date Published: 05/06/09
Senator Ayogu Eze: Two Years of Meritorious Service to the People
By Ezugwu Benson Whyte
In the words of Martin Luther King Jnr. ‘Politicians are called to be the salt of the earth, to be light of the world, to be that vitally active leaven in the lump of the nation.’’ Senator Ayogu Eze represents the Enugu North senatorial district in Enugu state. He is the Chairman of Senate Committee on information and media. Ordinarily, there is nothing special and unique about being the spokesperson of the senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, except that many who have found themselves in information management in this country have been so partisan and often misused this very important positions.
We have seen many information executives turn their privileged positions to avenues of defending government policies and programmes, even when such policies run contrary to the wishes and aspirations of the people. We have had information ministers who were ready to defend the government of the day even when they lacked reasonable information at their disposal to defend the government. A lot of Nigerians have come to the conclusion that managing information in public places or government institutions in Nigeria, such as the Senate, entails telling concocted lies always designed to deceive the populace. Frankly speaking, many Nigerians have loved to hate the so-called spokes persons in public places because they have virtually lost faith in the system just like Nathaniel in the Holy Bible who said; ‘Can anything good come out of Jerusalem?’’
Senator Ayogu Eze inherited a system that was tied to the apron strings of the presidency. During the immediate past administration, the functions of the three arms of the government were almost muddled due to poor information management. Every truth was buried and Nigerians were always fed with multifarious lies in the name of defending government policies. The people’s views never mattered as those managing information almost claimed monopoly of knowledge, since they were the government, while the people are at the other side.
Coming from a media background the emergence of senator Eze as the chairman of senate committee on media and publicity brought freshness in information dissemination in this arm of the government, particularly the upper legislature. One unique feature in his style of leadership is his penchant for openness and objectivity, coupled with his flare for letting Nigerians know every bit of legislative proceedings. At the end of every senate sitting, he takes out time to explain to Nigerians issues as they happened. Whenever there is controversy or issues in dispute between the two chambers of the national assembly, he takes time over and again to clear the air on such thorny issues citing relevant constitutional provisions to buttress his points.
There is no gainsaying that the relative peace currently pervading in the senate nay national assembly contrary to what were witnessed in the immediate past legislature has largely been made possible by the efficient management of information in the legislature anchored by senator Eze. When the unfortunate crisis of confidence that happened in Minna between some Senators and House of Representative members over who chairs the joint committee on constitution review occurred, the manner he managed the information about the crisis doused the tension. If not for the maturity with which the situation was handled such misunderstanding was capable of over hitting the polity, thereby ridiculing the legislature. One would agree with me that if such situation came up during the immediate past legislature, the whole exercise would have been aborted due to poor information management obtained at the time but the senate spokesman refused to be dragged into making unsavoury statements against his fellow legislatures in the lower chamber. Senator Eze has consistently demonstrated that ego boosting has no place in information management as any mistake could smear, not only the image of the national assembly but the entire government.
The Freedom of Information Bill (FOIB), that the former administration of Olusegun Obasanjo, deliberately refused to sign into law due to lack of proper knowledge of its advantage to national development, is receiving fine tuning by the senate committee on media and publicity ably headed by senator Ayogu, this he said, is to make it more acceptable and functional.
As a veteran Journalist he told Niger Delta Standard Newspaper some time ago concerning the bill that; ‘After the second reading, there were a lot of speculations by interest groups; media rights groups, civil rights groups, media practitioners and ordinary Nigerians. Even though some of the things they said may not be exactly what is in the proposed law, we had to sit back to see how the bill can be welded into what we are doing; so that when we bring it out it will reflect the general aspirations of our people. So, I can tell you that the FOI Bill is on course. And I believe it shall be passed within the life of this Senate.’’
Still on the much talked FOI bill he emphasized its very importance by saying; ‘ Ultimately, whether we like it or not, an open, transparent, purposeful, process-driven government structure will promote the corporate health of Nigeria, will promote our international image, will promote our economic growth, will promote our general acceptability and will promote peace and harmony within our country. It will eliminate mutual suspicion and it will reduce the incidence of looking at government as a cult. It will make sure that government becomes a service centre that it is designed to be; not an oracle from where instructions are issued from the select few to the rest of us. I believe that the whole idea is part of the effort to purify the process of governance.’’
Back home senator Ayogu Eze’s popularity is growing as the people appear very satisfied with his performances so far in the senate even though he is there for the first time. A survey conducted recently in Enugu North revealed that the people are quite satisfied with their representative. Comrade Ambrose Eze, a chartered banker and a businessman from Udenu local government scored the senator above average. He said that Ayogu has been very domineering in the senate with his incisive, objective and open analysis of events as they happen in the upper legislative chamber. ‘I am not surprised that he is doing very well in his first term as a senator because he has been commissioner of Information for almost six years and haven caught his teeth in the media he is equal to the task,’’ he said.
Another respondent, Emeka Ugwu, a real estate agent from Igbo-etiti, praised the senator for his steadfastness in managing the information arm of the upper legislative chamber. Ugwu recalled that in time past Enugu North had a senator who was ad-judged by a national daily as the worst senator in the 1999-2003, legislative session. A senator who never made any contribution in the senate of the federal republic for four good years. He urged Ayogu to use this first term experience to learn the rudiments of legislative proceedings such that his second term will be the opportunity to pay back the electorate who have shown tremendous love and affection for him.
On the eastern front, Senator Eze is a die hard advocate of creation of additional state(s) for the much marginalized south east geo-political zone of the country. Speaking recently on African Independent Television AIT, political programme he re-echoed the position of the south south senators forum stand on the parity of states among the six geo-political zones. Eze who is also a member of the forum explained that they are proposing seven states for each of the geo-political zones such that the cry of marginalization and injustice by some zones, particularly the south east will be permanently laid to rest.
He is an apostle of agitation for the creation of Adada State, out of the present Enugu state. Adada comprises the former Nsukka province for which he (Senator Eze) represents. Whether he achieves this long time ambition by his people and writes his name on the sand of history or not, only time will tell.
Ezugwu Benson Whyte is the National Coordinator Nsukka Solidarity Network
