Efio-Ita Nyok|7 February 2016|6:52am
In this issue, a Cross River-born Canada-based academic in the person of Obasesam Okoi, is inquiring into the reason underlying the passiveness of his local government area, Yakurr, in the political evolution of the state and nation.
He particularly refers to three politicians: the legislators representing Yakurr in Cross River State House of Assembly(CRSHA) Ofem Nelson of Yakurr I Constituency and Eteng Jones of Yakurr II Constituency as well as Rt. Hon. Bassey Ewa, former Speaker of CRSHA who represents both Yakurr and Abi LGA in the federal House of Representatives.
What follows are the exact words of inquiry of inquisitive Okoi. He took to his Facebook time line to articulate his concern:
'The honorable member representing Ogoja Constituency at the State House of Assembly has paid bursary to their students and is now rehabilitating dilapidated schools. He is not from my constituency but I admire his service to his people.
Our honorable member in Yakurr Constituency has followed the path of his godfather. He has neither moved any motion nor sponsored any bill. While his colleagues are paying bursary to students and rehabilitating abandoned school projects, he has chosen to put his portion of the constituency money in his pocket or share it with his godfathers as usual.
Why is Yakurr such an unfortunate constituency? It's sad that a constituency such as ours, with its composition of intellectuals in every field of human endeavor, has taken a back seat in political representation.
Two weeks ago, I watched a National Assembly member debating an issue on family planning and his presentation was far below a primary school student. I was ashamed that Nigeria could project such people to make national laws.
I've been wondering whether our national assembly and state representatives from Yakurr are suffering a similar fate. Or, they are just naturally incompetent?'
The scenario painted by Okoi defines the fate of Nigerians in the hands of irresponsible politicians who seem not to care about their responsibility to members of their immediate constituencies. Last year on 22nd December 2015, a picture of Rt. Hon. Essien Ayi, the legislator representing Calabar South and Bakassi LGAs in the House of Representatives, snoring away his life while President Muhammadu Buhari presented his 2016 budget proposal went viral. The interesting thing about Ayi is that he is a member of the opposition party, the PDP.
We are calling on our politicians at all levels of politicking to take their public roles as serious as possible.
Efio-Ita Nyok
Is a Blogger & the Editor of Negroid Haven
