By Kendy Ovbiebo<\/p>\n
A colleague of mine asked me to examine the Nigerian senators in a cursory
\nmanner to determine if they match up with their United States
\ncounterparts. This came up when we were arguing about the effectiveness of
\nlawmakers in the United States. During my mini research, I stumbled into
\nplethora of information on one Nigerian senator, Senator Ike Ekweremadu,
\nthe Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate. As I was reading up on him,
\nthree major things kept coming up, experience, competence, wisdom, as well
\nas being the most detribalized Nigerian, who sees it as his moral
\nobligation to uplift people and empower them to lift themselves off of
\npoverty.<\/p>\n
How did I come to this conclusion of a man I have never met? I read
\neverything I could get my hands on. I read what people have written about
\nhim, including what his detractors wrote. I subjected every story to
\nstrict scrutiny and found that Ekweremadu is a rare senator in Nigeria. It
\nis a fact that he gave scholarships to people. For Ekweremadu to award
\n22.3m Scholarships to 525 students is commendable. It is a fact that he
\nestablished education-related programs and projects for people to empower
\nthemselves. Most importantly, his fetish for education is to provide
\npeople the opportunity to attain their highest level of education. Without
\nthis opportunity, many would have stopped at level that would force them
\nto live in perpetual poverty. Ekweremadu himself is a life-long learner.
\nHis recent completion of his doctor of philosophy program is a powerful
\ntestament to his philosophy.<\/p>\n
Similarly, Ekweremadu has the Ikeoha Foundation that promotes and funds
\nhis humanitarian projects in communities around Enugu State. He has
\nattracted enormous federal programs and projects to the people in the form
\nof health centers, roads, rural electrification, as well as other projects
\nhe has personally funded to make life better for his people. Here, in the
\nUnited States, senators work hard to attract federal presence in their
\nrespective constituencies. The more seniority you have in the Senate, the
\nlarger the piece of the pie you bring home. As a result, most senators are
\nreelected over and over again by their state to allow them membership on
\npowerful committees. In addition, based on their seniority, they may
\nbecome chairs of committees, a position every senator wants. Suffice to
\nsay that longevity in office breeds experience and experience breeds
\ncompetence. Senator Ike Ekweremadu is the type of senator many in the
\nUnited States would want. For instance, the \u201croads and development
\nprojects you see around Awgu, Oji-River, Ezeagu, Aninri, and many parts of
\nEnugu and the South East came courtesy of the quality representation\u201d of
\nIke Ekweremadu\u2014this type of representation is what every constituency
\nwants.<\/p>\n
Ekweremadu\u2019s work ethic could be seen in the number and quality of
\nlegislations he has shepherded in the senate. Like me, he does not look at
\nthinks from the tribal lenses. He works hard to preserve Nigeria utilizing
\nhis competent knowledge in lawmaking. He is a trustworthy and honest
\nlegislator. As the Chairman of the Governing Council of the National
\nInstitute for Legislative Studies, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, said, \u201cThe
\nlegislators cannot afford to fall short of being worthy of their mandates
\nand the trust reposed in them and it is in light of their great
\nresponsibility that the National Institute for Legislative Studies was
\nestablished with the mandate of supporting and strengthening the
\nlegislature in pursuit of the ideals of democracy through research,
\ntraining, legislative support, advocacy and networking. He also said that
\nthe partnership between NILS and University of Benin is a testament of the
\nInstitute\u2019s achievements and growing relevance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Senator Ike Ekweremadu has always been a bridge builder; he brings people
\ntogether from different backgrounds and communities for a common goal\u2014for
\na common purpose of unifying the country while representing his
\nconstituency in particular and Nigeria in general effectively. He knows
\nthat the job of a public servant is one that never ends, so he constantly
\nand continuously sharpens his legislative skills. Without a doubt,
\nEkweremadu has the skills, sense of duty, the integrity, and above all he
\nhas pragmatic leadership qualities to move us forward\u2014to carry everyone
\nalong. So why would one want to change a good leader who embodies
\nexperience, competence, and wisdom at a time our country needs such a
\nperson most? It is therefore essential that Ekweremadu should remain in
\nthe Senate to work with President Jonathan to move the country forward.
\nAfter all he has a successful track record and in-depth knowledge of how
\nto get the job done. Indeed, Ekweremadu is an inspiration to most of us.<\/p>\n
Kendy Ovbiebo, an auditor, writes from Seattle, Washington State.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u00d7Ads By BrowseStudio<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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