From Fred Itua ( [email protected] )
Senator Gilbert Emeka Nnaji is the Senate Committee Chairman on Communications. He represents Enugu East Senatorial District in the Eighth Senate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Nnaji began his career in politics when he became the Chairman of the Enugu East Local Government between 1997 and 1998. He was again re-elected as chairman between 1999 and 2002.
Nnaji contested a seat in the Federal House of Representatives and won in 2003. He was in the Federal House of Representatives for two terms. Nnaji was a Deputy House Leader while at the Federal House of Representatives.
In this interview with Sunday Sun, the lawmaker spoke on a number of key issues including the crisis rocking the PDP, the rift between the Senate and the Presidency, as well as the passage of the 2017 budget. Excerpts.
How has it been since your reelection to the Senate?
Well, I can say it has been interesting and encouraging. It is interesting when you see that despite our level of political development, some people still find it very difficult to accept defeat in elections. Some others also, instead of joining hands to make governance easy and productive are rather working against the people’s interest just to score cheap political points. They think that it is the individual office holder that they fight, not knowing that it is indeed the general wellbeing of the people that suffers. Then on the other hand, it has been challenging because when you realize that things are no more what they seemed in terms of the economy and opportunities, you begin to adjust and readjust in order to keep meeting the expectations of the people you represent. There is no way you just go back and tell them that there is recession. It is not enough to tell a hungry and or sick person that there is recession in the country. You cannot tell the man whose children need school fees or that applicant roaming the streets that there is recession. You must look for avenues to make them happy. You must make sacrifices. So, these are the challenging aspects since my re-election.
Telecommunications firms sometimes devise means to shortchange subscribers. What is your committee doing to protect subscribers?
While I admit that you are correct, I can also say that you are referring to the telecoms sector before today. Remember that I am heading the Senate Committee on Communications for the second time now. So, I have good knowledge of the sector, their shortcomings and challenges. Immediately after our inauguration, we gave the regulatory agency, NCC, a marching order to ensure that service providers sit up and shun every act capable of shortchanging the masses. They included dropped calls, unsolicited text messages and services as well as illegal charges. In short, we demanded that there be a sharp improvement on general quality of services. For example, when there was public complaint about mass sack by MTN, I quickly intervened and got the Managing Director to respond. You are aware of the manner we tackled the fine imposed on some of the operators for violating the order on SIM card registration. So, you can see that we are not leaving any stone unturned in ensuring that Nigerians get value for their money. Although I cannot say that it is already a perfect situation, every sincere mind can confirm that things have changed for good in the telecoms sector. But we have to honestly appreciate the challenges they face which affect their operations. They include multiple taxation, vandalization of their equipment, disruption or cutting of their cables during road construction and difficulties in acquiring spaces for base transmitting stations. We are making serious efforts to address them so that both the provider and subscribers are protected towards a stable economy.
The Eight Senate is often accused and described as the den of corruption and some people have been advocating that the country can do without the Upper Legislative Chamber. What’s your take on this?
People are entitled to their opinions but it does not mean that every opinion is true. For instance, since the inception of this republic, The National Assembly has been variously accused of corruption. As a media practitioner, you can agree with me that people can make unverifiable claims at times just to be relevant for the moment. But in the final analysis you find out that they were based on mere sentiments. Nobody has ever come up with genuine reasons based on national interest why the Senate should be scraped. It’s always selfish and politically motivated. Nigeria has been operating a bi-cameral legislature since independence with resounding successes. But simply because some persons do not like the faces of some senators or senate leadership just on the ground of partisan interests, they’re calling for the scrapping of the Senate. Until Nigerians begin to make factual claims based on national interest there will be problems and under-development in the country. So, except there are logical and beneficial bases for the clamour, there is certainly nothing wrong with Nigeria’s upper legislature. The concern of everyone should rather be how to make the institutions strong and the system work.
Don’t you think the frequent face-off between the Senate and the Presidency is affecting the smooth operation of government?
Of course the face-off which I consider needless and avoidable is slowing down the entire process of governance. Mind you, it is not just the Senate but also the entire National Assembly that’s involved. One chamber cannot represent the legislature completely if government must function effectively. So, when there is a gap between the two sensitive arms of government, the masses suffer untold hardship as we are witnessing now. Instead of working in synergy towards economic recovery, so much effort is being wasted on baseless issues that border on mutual disrespect. But I am glad that there is now a mechanism in place to resolve the crisis. So, I may not comment further on the issue.
Nigerians also believe the Senate has not done enough to ameliorate the current economic recession. Do you think people who believe so are right?
This is another complete falsehood. Any claim that cannot be backed up with verifiable facts is not valid. If laws or policies are made and they are not implemented who do you blame? You see where some of the face-offs come from. Do we have to force the executive to do what they are constitutionally mandated to do? For record purposes, the Senate has so far passed critical and top priority business bills aimed at taking the country out of recession. The bill I sponsored on Nigerian Postal Sector Reform is one of the bills in that category. It will open up business and employment opportunities for Nigerians. Others include the National Development Bank of Nigeria Establishment Bill; Nigerian Ports and Harbours Authority Act Amendment Bill; National Road Fund Establishment Bill; National Transport Commission Act, 2001 Amendment Bill; Warehouse Receipts Act Amendment Bill; Companies and Allied Matters Act Amendment Bill; Investment and Securities Act, Customs and Excise Management Act; Federal Competition Bill and National Road Authority Bill. And remember also that the Petroleum Industry Bill after over a decade is now ready for passage at last. Then in the area of oversight functions, the Senate has achieved a lot which Nigerians and even the international community can acknowledge. But in all these, if the executive does not do the needful, people will not notice our impact as legislators in this direction. So, that is our greatest challenge. And again, the media should put more effort in publicizing our activities.
What do you think leaders of PDP should do to end chronic crisis in the party?
Just like every other well-meaning member of the PDP, I strongly believe that it’s only political solution that can see the party through this protracted crisis. There has to be give and take. There has to be sacrifice. We must forgive, forget and forge ahead. Nothing more or less.
Political heavyweights in Enugu State are defecting to the APC. Do you think this will affect the fortunes of your party in 2019?
Apart from the current internal crisis rocking the party, I do not foresee any threat to PDP come 2019. Not even the exit of those you label heavyweights. The structure of the party is very intact in the state. Have you forgotten that we had successful ward, local government, state and zonal congresses before the leadership tussle? And none of those elected officers and even government officials has had cause to leave. The PDP state government is delivering all-round dividends and the people are happy. Roads are being constructed, housing provided, health services provided, salaries and pensions are paid. So, how is the party affected? Just watch and see how the same persons would flock back in due course.
Since you joined the Senate, what would you describe as your biggest achievements?
Although leaders do not judge or assess themselves especially while in office, it’s the people that judge, but I can say that my biggest achievement so far is that my people now know and appreciate what representation is all about. There is a new awareness and orientation in my constituency. People now have true se
nse of belonging in the affairs of governance unlike the situation before my election when there was a very wide gap between the people and their representatives. All that has changed. Today there is no part of my constituency that does not have one or two things to be happy about democracy. Things have improved to the point that people can now expect and demand services from their elected leaders. They can now criticize their leaders because there is a sudden awareness due to new innovations. They now realize that they deserve empowerment and accountability. Stewardship. They now recognize their rights to direct access to their leaders as a result of new orientation they have been exposed to since 2011. And it may also interest you to know that all these positive developments are upsetting some few persons. But I am not bothered as long as the people are satisfied with the wind of change that Almighty God has ushered in through me. But if you still want to see the tangibles, let me use this medium to invite you to my periodic constituency outreach and empowerment programme coming up very soon. At least you will see the mood of the people, which is an evidence of all I have just said.
2017 budget has just been passed. What do you consider significant about the budget?
The significance of the 2017 budget is simply that this is the first time in Nigeria’s history that citizens participated actively in preparation of a budget. The series of public hearings held on the budget afford the people an opportunity to make inputs. Also this is the first time political party affiliation would be put aside in budget discussion at the chamber. And of course, the same thing happened in the House of Representatives. So, this budget is better described as the people’s budget. And it is an indication that it will make a very big impact unlike the previous ones. In short, it will certainly help the country out of recession provided there is diligent implementation by the executive although through oversight duties we shall monitor the implementation processes.