No doubt a vibrant and independent legislative is a necessary requirement for the entrenchment of democratic value and sustenance.
Legislative in a democratic setting is an important arm empowered by the constitution to make laws that will guide in providing good governance, thereby promoting transparency and accountability.
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In fact, the NASS derived its function from the 1999 constitution in which it conferred on the NASS the power over Nigeria’s wealth treasury and other issues involving the prosecution of war outside the country and regulation of how the office of the president should function.
It also has the power to make laws for the general good governance of the country, peace, stability, economic wellbeing such other functions stipulated by the 1999 constitution.
These includes their oversight function, to check excessive of the executive arm.
It comprise of 109 distinguished senators, elected into the red chambers, three each from the 36 states of the federation, one from the FCT, and 360 members of the lower chamber (Green Chamber) of the House of Representatives elected from various federal constituencies across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.
Nigeria’s began experimenting parliamentary in 1955, with the formation of the first republic parliament with Fredrick Metcalfe as the first speaker of the parliament.
From 1955 to date this arm of government has transformed from parliament to presidential system of government.
In its seventy years of existence as an arm of government under a democratic settings from inception to date, Nigeria has witnessed the emergence of 15 speakers of the parliament (House of Representatives).
They includes Fredrick Metcalfe 1955 to 1959, Jaja Wachukwu 1959-1960, Ibrahim Jalo Waziri 1960-1966, with the advent of the second republic, Edwin Ume Ezeoke emerged speaker of the House of Representatives from 1979 – 1983, and while Benjamin Chaha was elected speaker from 1st October 1983 to 31st December 1983.
During the third republic Agunwa Anakwe was elected speaker from Dec 1992 – Nov 1993. In the fourth republic, nine persons from various geo-political zones of the country emerged as Speaker of the House of Assembly, from Salisu Buhari in 1999 to the present speaker, Abass Tajuddeen.
Specifically, section fifty of the Nigerian Constitution, guarantee the creation of the office of the president of the senate and that of the speaker of teguarantees Representatives number three and four in term of hierarchy of evolution of power.
For the records, from 1955 to date fifteen eminent Nigeterms’s have served the parliamentary/House of Representatives as principal officers/speakers of this honorable house.
The emergence of Tajudeen Abass as the fifteen speaker of the House of Representative, from Zaria constituency is a game changer in the political history of the country.
His constituency Zaria is one of the most populous constituency we have in the country, with about seven hundred and sixty thousand people covering five hundred and sixty three kilometers.
Zaria is a cosmopolitan city which accommodate the largest university, Ahmadu Bello University and several other tertiary institution, therefore, the people of Zaria remains grateful to other Nigerians for electing it illustrious, competent and knowledgeable son to lead the green chamber of the NASS.
He is a silent achiever in his about sixteen year’s as member representing Zaria in the House of Representatives, from 2011 to date.
He has contributed immensely in promulgation of several laws through the sponsorship of several bills aimed at enhancing the qualities of lives of Nigerians.
In fact he was one of the sponsors of the highest bills in the eight assembly 2015-2019, with seventy four bills, out of which twenty one were duly signed into law.
Apart from his contributions to bill sponsorship Tajudeen Abass has a vast range of experience in the House of Representatives in the various committee’s he served from 2011 to 2023.
It was record that he served in commerce, finance, special duties, defense, public procurement, national planning and economic development as member.
This is in addition to his being chairman for land transport, the various committee’s he served and chaired in the House of Representatives has helped share his vision and focus and has contributed a lot in his emergence as the speaker of the Tenth Assembly.
Dr. Abass Tajudeen aka TJ is a politician with a Midas touch, focused and versatile in knowledge.
He has been winning election from the date he ventured into politics in 2010, crowning it with his emergence as speaker of the Tenth Assembly.
He is very popular among the electorates partly due to his kindness, and philanthropic gesture.
No wonder since his emergence as the Speaker, other members of the house have rallied behind him to ensure his success, hitch free tenure.
He has demonstrated leadership qualities by carrying all members of the house along in every aspect of legislative activities.
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This has endeared him to several opposition party members in the house defecting to the ruling All Progressive Congress party (APC), thereby swelling the ruling party member of seats in the House of Representatives.
His leadership style has helped stabilize activities in the House of Representatives and by extension legislative/ executive relationship, devoid of rancor and commotion as witnessed in the past.
On Dividends of Democracy, to the people of Zaria constituency, the constituents remained grateful to the speaker for his effort to alleviate their sufferings through the various empowerment programmes he initiated.
Since before his inception as speaker, TJ had served as member representing Zaria for almost a decade and had performed credibly well.
He has sunk many boreholes, rehabilitated and built many schools/classes and other empowerment schemes he initiated.
However, after his emergence as Right Honorable Speaker, residents of the constituency began to feel the impact of the office.
For example one of the scheme initiated by the speaker is the disbursement of N5 billion naira scholarship to 30,000 students from the North West.
Investigation revealed that the scheme which is unprecedented will comprise of seven thousand students from Kaduna State, while the remaining will come from other North West states of Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kano, Jigawa and Kebbi states.
The scholarship is aimed at providing financial support to students, ranging from N200,000.00 to N800,000.00 each depending on tuition fees and course of study.
Students who attended the launching of the programme in Zaria were full of praises to the speaker for his support and cooperation in their pursuit of the various education careers.
Another giant stride in the area of education recorded by Dr. Tajudeen Abass in Zaria constituency has to do with effort to improve learning environment in both primary and secondary schools in the Zaria constituency.
It is on record that so far over one hundred and ten primary schools and forty secondary schools have been renovated and upgraded, while more schools are expected to benefit later.
This is in addition to the facilitation of some development projects by the speaker in Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, National Research Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT), Nigeria Institute of Leather and Science Technology, NILEST as well as Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic aimed at enhancing learning and the provision of conducive atmosphere through the execution of various projects.
Another giant stride recorded by the speaker in the constituency is the initiation and development of education village in Zaria valued at about eighty billion naira which will involve the construction of a dedicated care Centre that will accommodate four brand new tertiary institutions.
The tertiary institutions to be constructed includes a campus of the National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN, new Federal College of Education, provision of a state-of-the-art Federal College of Nursing and Health Sciences and College of Legal Studies, which will swell the number of tertiary institutions in not only Zaria, but Kaduna State as a whole, providing job opportunities and ease the sufferings of students seeking admission into tertiary institutions.
The speaker has also executed solar powered projects in nooks and crannies of his constituency thereby lightening up the streets and corners for the delight of the residents of all the various wards in the constituency.
This has gone a long way in checking insecurity and lightening up the sky.
Another milestone achieved by Dr. Abass Tajudeen has to do with his empowerment programme in which he launched the distribution of vehicles =, tricycles and motorcycles to members of the constituency.
A total of 1,117 items were distributed as part of the empowerment programme aimed at alleviating poverty among the members of the constituency.
They include 117 vehicles, comprising of 20 Hilux, Two ambulances, Twenty Eighteen seater buses, Fifty Sharon vehicle and Twenty Five Sedan/Salon Cars (Golf, Corolla, and Peugeot 406) distributed among the constituency members.
Also, Two Hundred Tricycles and One Thousand Motorcycles were given out to various beneficiaries, which includes religious, women groups security agencies local government party offices, education and health workers, Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Nigeria Union of Teachers and the Nigeria Union of Journalists among others.
The people of Zaria federal constituency are grateful and proud to be associated with these uncommon achievements of their son who double as speaker of the Federal House of Representatives. This achievement will no doubt go a long way in facilitating the reelection of the speaker come 2027.
However we still want to appeal to the Right Honourable Speaker to set machinery in motion in getting a special intervention to complete the long awaited Zaria water supply project, aimed at ameliorating the suffering of the residents of the constituency in meeting their water supply needs.
Similarly there is the need to fast track the process of establishing the proposed New Tertiary Institution to be located in the ancient city.
Also, the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika will require the attention of the speaker, especially through the intervention project of the National Assembly, to modernized and upgrade it facilities in view of its importance, not only to the country but also the West African Sub-region.
Finally, members of the Zaria federal constituency of Kaduna State, remained grateful to other honorable members of the House of Representatives, and all those who facilitated the emergence of Dr. Abass Tajudeen as the fifteen speaker of the federal House of Representatives, hoping that they will continue to accord him the necessary support and cooperation in piloting the affairs of the house.
Under speaker Dr. Abass Tajudeen two year stewardships, the house has witnessed peace and tranquility, harmonious working relationship and promulgation of quality bills aimed at good governance, transparency and accountability, through a vibrant legislation and good working relation between the executive and the legislative arms.
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Indeed TJ is a blessing to his constituency (TJ Alheri ne).
Mujtaba Ramalan Bello, former Chairman of Correspondent Chapel of the NUJ in Adamawa and Kano States and former Vice Chairman of Kano State Council of the NUJ write this piece from Gusau, Zamfara State.