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By Tracy Moses
The Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele has called on Nigerians to appreciate, rather than criticize, the National Assembly for endorsing the proclamation of emergency rule in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu.
According to Senator Opeyemi, the National Assembly saved democracy in the oil-rich state with its ratification of the emergency rule as declared by President Tinubu.
In a statement issued in Abuj, Bamidele emphasized that the National Assembly, as a responsible institution, sees the emergency rule as an exceptional measure.
Senator Bamidele made these remarks during the 29th convocation of Ekiti State University (EKSU) in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, where he was conferred with an honorary degree of Doctor of Law (Honoris Causa).
He was honored alongside Dr. Zacch Adedeji, Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, and Dr. Mansur Muhtar, Chairman of the Governing Board of the Bank of Industry, bringing the total number of honorary doctorates he has received to three since January 2003.
The convocation ceremony was graced by key dignitaries, including the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio; Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jubril Barau; Deputy Leader of the Senate, Senator Lola Ashiru; Deputy Whip of the Senate, Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi; and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Olamilekan Adeola.
Bamidele highlighted the pivotal role played by the National Assembly in maintaining peace, specifically referencing the proclamation of emergency rule in Rivers State. He noted that the emergency declaration and its subsequent ratification by the National Assembly helped alleviate the political tensions in the state.
Without this crucial intervention, the crisis would have plunged the state into a choas whose outcome no one knows.
He asked: “What do we truly want as a nation? A functioning federation for all, or one that is mired in unresolvable conflict?” Bamidele noted that while emergency rule is an exceptional measure, it must be treated with the seriousness it deserves, ensuring the peace and security of the nation.
He referred to Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), underscoring that the National Assembly must adhere to the constitutional guidelines when ratifying such decisions. He cautioned against taking the provisions of the Constitution lightly, emphasizing the need for a full understanding of the Nigeria Interpretation Act of 2004.
“As a responsible and responsive body, the National Assembly was created to foster national unity, growth, and stability, ” he stressed.
According to Bamidele, the ratification of the emergency proclamation aligns with the Assembly’s commitment to maintaining peace and ensuring the nation’s prosperity. He also stressed one significant measure included in the emergency declaration: the establishment of the National Peace Committee, which is tasked with facilitating dialogue and peace between the state’s Executive and Legislature.
“We should be commended for this laudable initiative and not be vilified by some political actors, who do not bother about what happens to our national security, but about their parochial interest. Regardless of their unpatriotic moves, we firmly stand for the peace and stability of Nigeria.
“We shall continue to leverage the authority of the National Assembly to guarantee her peaceful co-existence.
“Our decision, as an institution, is taken purely in the national interest. If any interest is unsatisfied with it, they can as well seek redress in the law court,” Bamidele reflected.
He expressed grave concerns about a barrage of attacks that the opposition parties are viciously launching against the National Assembly, noting that the reasons for such attacks “are purely based on emotion and not reasons; sentiment and not substance.
“Regardless of baseless and needless attacks our critics are throwing at the National Assembly, we are undeterred because we are truly on a rescue mission.
“The essence of the mission aims at bringing our fatherland from the abyss of regression to the path of progression through the enactment of pro-people legislations and by cultivating strategic collaboration with other arms of government.
“Collaboration, in this sense, does not suggest the erosion of the independence of the National Assembly for any reason. Rather, in reality, it reinforces the spirit of interdependence that constitutional democracy entails in order to resolve hydra-headed issues that often clog the mechanism of accountable governance,” he clarified.
The parliament,He noted “Is now focused on building a federation that enjoys internal stability and that rests solidly on the rules of law through the instrumentality of legislation, oversight and representation.
“We are also committed to creating a system that will enable quality education; that will guarantee limitless placements for all our graduates; that will prioritise access to decent houses nationwide; that will significantly reverse our nation’s reports of untold misery and that will, most importantly, remove all barriers to gender inequality.
“How can our nation attain this lofty status without a strategic collaboration being forged among various arms of government? This is the exact question that our hardened critics have failed to ask themselves. Anyway, we have left them to their politically motivated attacks.
“This does not suggest we are afraid of criticisms as the foremost democratic institution. We are not and we will never be because we believe democracy naturally thrives on public criticism. But such criticisms must be constructive and well structured with the intention of providing alternative, credible and patriotic initiatives, “Bamidele further said.
Meawhile, at the institution’s convocation ceremony, the Pro-Chancellor, Prof. Akin Oyebode, acknowledged the vital role played by the university’s alumni in its development. He emphasized that alumni associations worldwide contribute significantly to the progress of their alma maters through various forms of support.