Lawmaker representing Gombi/Hong Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives,Rt.Hon. ( Dr.)Yusuf Buba Yakub,has described the job of lawmaking as a taxing activity that requires that, all practitioners must at all times possess the ability for multitasking if they must make appreciable impacts on all aspects of the job.
The Adamawa-born entrepreneur-turned-legislator stated the above, Tuesday,at his National Assembly office in Abuja while fielding questions about the business of lawmaking and representative politics to a Policy and Legislative Advocacy Centre (PLAC) scholar,Godiya Mallum Shallangwa,who was in the former’s office for a question-and-answer session as a crucial part of the Center’s ongoing Internship Programme.
While explaining that the job of lawmaking goes beyond initiating motions and sponsoring Bills in Parliament,Rt. Hon. Buba said other aspects of the job, like appropriating funds for the development of the country and carrying out continuous oversight exercises in order to ascertain how appropriated funds are being used, were some of the salient functions of the lawmaker that are, usually, overlooked. In addition to ensuring that the needs of the lawmaker’s Constituents, including complaints and petitions, are often addressed,the lawmaker,who is also the Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House,said it was , therefore, necessary to ensure that anyone seeking to represent a Constituency at the National Assembly must not only be knowledgeable in diverse fields of endeavour,but also have the ability to answer to the various demands of the job at all times.
He also maintained that the job of a lawmaker, despite its importance,was not one that is financially rewarding and used the occasion to refute claims in some quarters that the Nigerian Federal lawmaker is overpaid. While disclosing his whole annual entitlements as Federal lawmaker in Nigeria to the young scholar,Rt.Hon.Buba added that the roles of the different actors in the nation’s democratic spectrum were mutually complementary,where the legislature merely oversees how monies allocated to components ought to be spent by members of the Executive,he again stressed that money was hardly a motivating factor for anyone currently serving in the Nigerian Legislature and called on the youths to embrace a life of service for the country without minding what they stand to personally benefit from it all in the long run.
Earlier,Ms Shallangwa,who is also a Constituent of the Gombi/Hong Rep, had expressed appreciation for the many developmental programmes and projects of her host at his Constituency.She said that anyone ,who has keenly followed the lawmaker’s vision for development in his Constituency in nearly the last eight years of his representation would understand why the people have continued to queue behind him. She also revealed that her visit to the National Assembly and the insight ,which the question-and-answer session with the lawmaker had provided, had contributed immensely at changing the initial perception she had about the nation’s legislature and its actors.
Nkem Anyata-Lafia
Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs to the Lawmaker
Wednesday, November 30,2022
