Recently, some stakeholders from Niger South Senatorial district parleyed with their Senator, Mustapha Sani Mohammed, AWAAL GATA, was there for Blueprint
In Nigeria, it is axiomatic that senators, members of House of Representatives and even state assembly members evade their constituencies, constituents and even constituent offices, save for when re-election looms, for obvious reasons.
However, the senator representing Niger South Senatorial district, Mustapha Sani Mohammed, has vowed to correct that leadership slip, hence invited almost a hundred people, whom he dubbed stakeholders, to parley with him in Abuja.
Each of the stakeholders was either representing a ward, a local government or a group within the district.
In an opening remark, one of his legislative aides, Abubakar D. Mohammed, explained that the parley was an avenue for the senator, being his people’s representative at the Senate, to take stock of his activities, since he will clock one year in office on August 12.
The 8th Senate is over a year old, but Sen Mohammed was not sworn in same day with others because a fierce legal tussle trailed his election. The Supreme Court however ruled in his favour a few weeks ago.
According to the aide, “This interactive session with Senator Mustapha Sani Mohammed seeks to achieve the ultimate goal of communicating his stewardship thus far and explore ways of furthering the advancement of the collective interest and development of our senatorial district within the Nigerian project.”
In his address, the senator said the parley was convened to allow profound and incisive deliberations concerning the progress of his constituency and its people.
He noted that although oversight, legislation and representation are the main duties of legislators, their consciousness of the infrastructural decay and dearth in which the country is enmeshed spawn their struggle to augment what the executives are able to do by facilitating their provisions through MDAs during appropriations and budgeting processes.
The legislator added that education, improvement of power, provision of potable water and women and youth development culminate the four-point agenda of his senatorship mandate.
The senator also highlighted 11 projects and schemes he carried out within the time he has so far spent in office.
The programmes and projects include; payment of fines to free prison inmates, disbursement of business startup capital to over 400 women across the district, empowerment of 50 youths with generating sets to boost their businesses, empowerment of women with refrigerators for businesses, and empowerment of 120 youths with motorcycles and tricycles for commercial purposes.
Other tactile efforts he highlighted include, provision of 880 bags of fertilizer to indigent farmers in order to boost farming in the zone, empowerment of 16 youths with commercial cars, facilitation of employment for his constituents in federal agencies and installation of a digital transmitter in the offices of Power FM, Bida.
The senator also highlighted what he has lined in his plate for 2016 appropriations, which include: Construction of Lambata-Lapai-Bida road, completion of Baro Port, procurement of cargo-handling equipment for Baro Port and construction of Agaie-Baro road.
For the zonal constituency intervention projects, Mohammed said he wants to install 20 500KVA transformers across the zone, renovate six secondary schools, train and empower youth and women and provide potable water across the zone.
He lamented the alleged 40 percent drop in the country’s earnings which obviously prompted the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Babachir David Lawal, to reportedly say that there was no money for constituency projects.
“The country is in hard times now. We want to work for our people, but there is no money like the country used to have. As stakeholders, if you return home, sensitize the people on our plans and vision and our challenges too, so that they will understand what is happening,” he said.
He also told the participants that his doors were opened for anyone with ideas and plans for the development and progress of Niger South.
Responding, one of the stakeholders, Alfa Babaminin Agaie who said he had worked at the National Assembly for several years, commended the senator for organizing the parley; saying it was unprecedented among the country’s legislators, save for a Former Speaker of Niger state’s House of Assembly who was terminally having interfaces with those that voted him.
Another stakeholder, Alh Mohammed Kitabu, urged leaders across board to emulate Sen Mohammed by not evading their peoples after their votes have taken them to office.
Henceforth, such parley will be convened three times every year, the senator assured his constituents.
