By Aluzu Ebi Augustine; 31 August, 2018
Yesterday, 30th August, 2018, Hon. Daniel B. Igali of southern ijaw constituency iii indicated his interest to seek reelection into the Bayelsa State House of Assembly.
A move many progressive thinkers have since described as welcome development will enable the law maker to consolidate on his achievements.
Igali, born February 3rd, 1974 in Enewari community, Bayelsa state, Nigeria was first elected to represent the people of southern ijaw constituency iii in the House in 2011. He holds an Olympic gold medal from Sydney, 2000, representing Canada, on the men’s freestyle lightweight wrestling.
Following, an uncommon representation in the House, the people of SILGA constituency iii deemed it behovent to return him in 2015. He has, at yesterday, picked up his nomination and expression of interest form to recontest for a third term.
The news have since informed the primordial and clannish sentiments of some political commentators in the state to raise issues of zoning.
There has been pocket talks of a zoning agreement between the three clans in Bomo kingdom, namely Bomo East, Bomo West and Bomo Central. Though this agreement was not written, the commentators believe the seat should be zoned to Bomo central this time around because they believe it is their time to produce a representative.
An argument that injures the right of individuals to aspire and seek elective positions.
Rightly, there has been a seahead of aspirants jostling to become the party’s candidate to occupy the seat, it is a sad commentary that some of the aspirants have woefully and spectacularly failed to articulate their reasons for vying as well as blueprints on how to achieve same if elected.
Disappointedly, apart from sense of entitlement to the party’s ticket because they are from certain community under SILGA constituency iii, these aspirants have continuously failed to sound convincing but are rather fanning the embers of ethnicity, sectionalozation and gerrymandering.
Obviously, the argument of rotation remains obtuse considering the modern day realities that informs political decisions of electorates.
It is commonsensical and rightly so that what should ordinarily be a criterion for qualifications to electorates should be based on conviction of the manifesto and road map presented by a candidate’s performance.
Assuming but not conceding that there was such zoning agreement almost 20 years ago, you will agree with me that the variables and what was obtainable or what informed the political actors then is no longer tenable in today’s realities.
It follows that a party needs a candidate that is in touch with todays realities. An attribute that represents Igali’s eight year reign as a member, representing in his constituents.
His advocacy on the floor of the House by way of motions moved in the House have since earned him the sobriquet “talking drum of Bomo clan”.
With his exposure, legislative insight, and performance, Igali has become the standard of measuring performance of law makers.
His proactive nature and legislative sagacity have seen many laws passed, credited to his name. Igali currently has the highest number of private bills sponsored and enacted to his name on the history of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly.
These laws include the Teaching of Indigenous Language Law, 2018, Neighborhood Security Watch Law, 2018 and Project Monitoring and Implementation (Amendment) Law, 2018.
The Teaching of Indigenous Language Law was borne out of the need to preserve the Izon language, culture and identity through our education institution.
The need to give our state a facelift and ensure project continuity despite change in government was what informed this legislative kahuna to draft the amendment to the Project Monitoring and Implementation Law.
The Neighbourhood Security Watch Law remains the brainchild of the intellectual industry of Igali to complement and give legal impetus to community vigilante groups in the state to stem crime and cultism. The law was passed at a time cultists almost made the state inhabitable for citizens and communities are since enjoying the benefits of the law.
Other private bills being sponsored by Igali include the Constituency Projects which is a law to compulsorily provide for constituency projects in the state’s annual budgets, Bayelsa State Trust Fund, to secure the potentials of our young people in the areas of sport as well as cater for their well-being in order to avoid cases of paid allowance to sports men and women and Bayelsa state model schools compulsory funding on order to maintain the structure and sustain teachers as well as students of the schools.
Igali has moved various motions in the House, some of which includes the motion on the need to establish functional public libraries in the state, motion on the disparity of teacher postings between urban and rural secondary schools in the state, motion on the urgent need to reverse the threat to close down Federal Polytechnic in Ekowe, motion on the need to curb the effects of the 2015 predicted flood in Bayelsa State, motion for a case of extra-judicial, murder and destruction of properties in Lasukugbene and Oyeregbene communities in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, motion on the urgent need for the Bayelsa State Government to provide computer systems for all senior secondary schools in Bayelsa Stat, a motion on the outbreak of the Cholera epidermic in Bomo Clan and most importantly, a motion on the need to urgently establish a remand home/institution for juvenile offenders, and urging the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to stop the detention of child suspects among adult inmates in Bayelsa State which was co-sponsored with Hon. Tonye Isenah among many others.
His community projects include providing community generator for Igbomotoru community, the Ekeowe community concret walk way, the Diebu community water project that is ongoing, among many others.
Igali is the most investor in human capacity in the state as through his office as Chairman, House Committee on Sports and President, Nigeria Wrestling Federation identified young Bayelsans and enrolled them into various sports.
His stride in the educational sector of his constituency saw the Executives of Federated Union of Southern Ijaw Students honour him with the “Most Active Assembly Member” award.
Igali has proven to be the man with the Midas touch. It is time to eschew the shackles of sectionalism and give credibility a third term to consolidate on his achievements.
He has demystified the legislative sphynx and proven to be a czar in the business having succesfully combined his various portfolios to give his constituents effective representation over the years.
His legislative strides are reflective in the kind of people oriented private bills he has successfully sponsored and recently passed into law.
His community projects are legacies in the various wards of southern ijaw constituency iii. Igali’s prints in politics of Bayelsa state will forever be remembered for its illumination and diplomacy. He is the man the cap fits. Yes, Igali!
This post is strictly mine and does not reflect the views or opinion of any group or organisation I represent.
