As the race for 2019 gathers momentum, and ailing President, Muhammadu Buhari, technically out of the firing line, we demand and deserve a vibrant, charismatic, and realistic leader; one who would be with the people, unbiased to religion, ethnicity, or political affiliations.
We need a fearless and dogged leader, whose primary focus will be the party and the people; a man with a stronger force, undaunted by whatever forces, powers, or challenges, that will be able to cage the Bola Tinubus of this world.
He is the current number 3-man, after President Buhari and Acting President Osinbajo; having served as the Special Assistant to former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Budget, from 2000 to 2003.
He also governed the great Kwara State for eight years, before being elected into the Nigerian Senate, in 2011.
Saraki continues to advocate for Legislation that will strengthen our institutions, so as to eradicate corruption, misuse of power, and abuse of office.
He is the first Senator in the history Nigeria, to post weekly activities, so Kwarians and Nigerians at large can see, follow, and contribute to what their representatives are doing, both at the Legislative and Constituency levels.
He most recently, broke the eight-years jinx in the National Assembly, by opening the budget of the National Assembly, for public scrutiny.
Since the inception of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic in 1999, compared to other Assemblies, the 8th Senate stands heads and shoulders above others in many regards.
Saraki, well known for understanding the need to engage the electorate and young people in general via social media, has spread the fever across the Senate, infecting his colleagues.
Using various social media platforms judiciously, Saraki has encouraged and achieved a robust Legislature-citizenry interaction, and has consequently, driven the roots of Nigeria’s democracy even deeper.
When Saraki took office on June 9, 2015, he pledged to reform the Senate, and make its processes more transparent, inclusive, and visible.
Since then, he tasked the Committee on Rules and Business, to develop an e-Parliamentary system that can be employed at Senate Plenary sessions.
I can recall, that the arrival of the then much anticipated Ministerial list sent by Buhari, was first announced on the Senate’s official social media platform, a move that would have been frowned at in the last dispensation, which treated media in any form, like a disease.
Before the just concluded Ministerial screening, the Senate President through his Special Assistant on New Media, Bamikole Omisore, in a statement on October 11, 2015, offered a warm hand of friendship, not just to the media, but even to the citizens.
Omisore, announced that Bloggers and news organizations who were interested in live blogging or live tweeting the Ministerial screening, to contact the New Media Office of the Senate President, for entry passes to the National Assembly, and the Senate gallery.
Anyone familiar with the National Assembly of old, would know that this is one of the most difficult parts of doing business there.
“This screening will create an avenue for Nigerians from all works of life to partake in governance, as the bridge between representatives and constituents will be bridged; with Senators asking questions sourced from Nigerians on Social Media.
“Additionally, the submitted resumes of candidates will be made available in the public space, for Nigerians to examine”, Saraki had said.
Nigerians were not left in the dark, as Saraki allowed more participation from Nigerians, by taking questions from the public, via the official Twitter handle of the Senate, @NGRsenate.
During the screening, the National Assembly TV station, which previously had been left to gather dust, was the source of information for different media platforms, which tapped into the feed from the TV station.
The Senate’s social media accounts, also gave real time updates that served as good material for many Media houses.
The resumes of the nominees were presented to the public before the screening, to enable those that knew the nominees, raise relevant objections. There was a balance of working to get the President’s nominees passed, and at the same time making sure the Senate was not a rubber stamp.
A novel innovation was the provision of a sign language interpreter throughout the plenary sessions. Nigerians were able to know virtually all the names of their Ministers, and were able to make contributions on social media.
Before Saraki, operations of the National Assembly were shrouded in secrecy.
The Senate’s official Twitter handle was abandoned, the Facebook page moribund, and the citizenry knew nothing about Legislative activities.
Saraki, also “flung the Legislative doors open”, introducing social media networks for citizens participation, in the on-going formulation of the 8th Senate’s Legislative agenda.
He encouraged individuals, civil societies, and non-governmental agencies, to send in their recommendations, in order to achieve what he described as “a robust and citizens driven Legislative agenda.”
He called for input before the final draft of the Legislative Agenda was completed, adding that, citizen submissions would guide the affairs of the Senate, throughout his tenure.
Saraki’s open door policy, stands in clear contrast to his predecessor, David Mark, who called for social media censorship, in 2012.
“Social media has become a threat to the ethics of media practice and good governance, because of its accessibility and absolute freedom. Every freedom carries a responsibility. Even in the advanced democracies, where we all agree that good governance is practiced, there is no absolute freedom”, Mark had said.
Continuing, Mark expressed the belief that, “there must be a measure to check the negative tendencies of the social media in our country.
“In the social media, a faceless character can post any information that is absolutely false and misleading, but will never retract it. At the end of the day, one is bombarded with questions over what one has no business with.
“I suggest that schools of Mass Communication and Journalism, should review their curricular, to include the operations of social media”, Mark submitted.
That the Senate in this dispensation, does not frown at giving freely the information requested by the very electorate, who put them in office, is commendable, and should be maintained.
Like Us on Facebook!
Do You Need a Sugar Mummy, Sugar Daddy, Girlfriend, Boyfriend Wife or Husband? If Yes, Then Click Here For Details
0 comments:
Post a Comment