The Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Ahmed Saba Global Concept Ltd, Coordinator, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Kwara State Chapter, and the Ajiyan of Shonga, Dr. Ahmed Adamu Saba, gave an indept speech during the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) 31st Media Parliament in Ilorin, Kwara State, recently.
Dr. Ahmed Adamu Saba dwell extensively on most issues of governance in the country
Here is the full details of the speech…
Greetings to all invited guests, gentlemen of the press and distinguished ladies and gentlemen.
Am most grateful to the Kwara State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) for your invitation and the opportunity given to me to speak at this important forum.
As we all know, Journalists are the custodians of democracy and the fact that the NUJ is hosting this event shortly after the primary election of all political parties in the country says a lot about your determination to play your rightful role in shaping the conduct of political players ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The theme of this event, “Changing the dynamics of governance through quality legislation” is even more instructive, because since the emergence of ‘O to Ge’ political revolution in 2019, Kwara State has become a leading state in public consciousness, not only in term of demanding good governance from the executive arm of government, but also in demanding quality legislative performance and the people have demonstrated significant interest in shaping conduct of legislators from the state for better representation.
I’ am sure that the novel Legislative Watch initiative of the leading Pro-democracy group, Kwara Must Change is something we are all familiar with and such objective public document and engagement has not only empowered the people to know better and ask the right questions, but it has also strongly challenged Kwara legislators to be better, not only to deliver quality legislation, but to also provide quality representation. Such objective engagement is destined to continue to demand more from lawmakers, which would ultimately lead to better representation, or emergence of better legislators, who will continue to strive to meet the huge public expectations.
We are now in another electoral season and the 2023 election is not just like the usual; it is a referendum to decide whether we want better service or not. This coming election is a choice between sustainable development or the path of backwardness.
In the legislative arm of government, which is the bedrock of democracy, our great party, the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) recently conducted its primary election and by the wishes of our party members, delegates, stakeholders and leaders, my humble self was fortunate to be given the mandate of the party as its candidate for Edu, Moro and Patigi Federal Constituency. The decision of our leaders and members to support my candidature is based on the understanding that our people need a new kind of representation that would be truly representative, participatory, and give priority to policy and legislation that would enhance the well being of the people, and this is exactly what I intend to prioritize, going into the general election, and by the grace of God, the national assembly.
Let me say that, the fact that somebody like me can emerge in place of the incumbent says a lot about the expectations of our people and our party. If it is just about money, certainly I don’t have as much as the incumbent. If it is about firm grip of the party structure, I still don’t have it as much as the incumbent. But the quality of engagement taking place in our polity since the emergence of ‘O to Ge’ in 2019, under the able leadership of our excellent Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has made it easy for anyone with clarity of purpose, record of quality service and a clearly articulated plan to win the people over to their side. My years of commitment, in community building, political mobilization and mass sensitization counted in my favour in this process and this is what I am taking into the race and by extension, the National Assembly.
Aside from being a farmer, who led the rice revolution in Kwara State through adequate rural organization in my capacity as the Chairman of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), I am also the project manager, Demand Generation, Kwara State, being a coordinating organization for Pharm Access Nigeria, with the responsibility of coordinating the design and implementation of enrolment activities in collaboration with the Kwara State Health Insurance Agency, focusing on the civil servants, private corporate/micro business as well as cohesive groups (RTEANS, NRTW, ARTISAN Congress, Cooperatives, etc) all of which I have done excellently to national applause.
These experiences, apart from being a former student union leader and community leader (Ajiyan Shonga), have prepared me adequately for the task of public representation and for me, legislative work is therefore, a part of my daily life, nurtured by experience, and passion to serve the common good.
My vision will be guided by the Legislative Watch research of Kwara Must Change, which identified 4 broad mandate of lawmakers, namely Representation, Legislative Advancement, Executive Oversight and Constituency Outreach.
10. Being a candidate of the ruling party, seeking to represent our constituency means that, I am a link between our people and the federal government of Nigeria and by the grace of God, if elected as their representative, I will create necessary infrastructure to harness public opinion, interest and aspiration that would be properly interpreted and advanced at national assembly. I will convey quarterly stakeholders engagement to ensure that my conduct, positions and propositions are in line with the need and priority of our people.
If elected as a lawmaker, I understand that one of my primary responsibilities is to propose review of existing laws, advance new motions and propose bills on issues affecting society and this would be a top priority for me. I would also commit myself to reviewing the impact of existing legislations to ensure that all laws enacted are serving the purpose of their enactment.
Executive Oversight is a necessity in legislative mandate, particularly in ensuring budgetary provisions are implemented in line with laid down rules and regulations. My oversight activities will not only be on projects but also on processes.
Constituency outreach will also be a major focus during my stay in the house if elected. Understanding that rural communities have long been denied many basic necessities of life, my constituency outreach will involve basic community projects, social amenities, empowerment, etc.
I will also make it a mission, to engage all relevant ministries, agencies and departments to ensure that all federal government programmes and initiatives are distributed in line with federal character and my constituency’s portion is jealously secured in terms of jobs, projects, empowerment etc.
As part of my representative mandate, I will also ensure that there’s adequate sensitization of our people on existing and new legislation to ensure that our people are taking adequate advantage of law, while causing themselves against violation.
Finally, it is important to state that, democracy would loose its meaning if there’s no good governance and good governance will remain a mirage, in absence of quality representation. Therefore, it has become the responsibility of all well meaning citizens, who have been constitutionally empowered to carry out oversight functions on the representatives and ensure that they do not fail in the duty of pointing the legislators to the right direction, through whatever means possible.
To cap it all however, Dr Ahmed Saba contribution towards the development of his community cannot be over emphasized . He has in many times sacrificed his comfort in order for his people to enjoy better life and peaceful coexistence.
Dr Saba’s idea of what philanthropy and humanitarian services really means, is the willingness of the privileged few in any society to subject themselves to some level of unease, discomfort or even pains when the need arises in order to make life better for those who are not so privileged in the society.
