Honourable Nnanna Rapheal Igbokwe is a member representing Ahiazu/Ezinite Mbaise Federal constituency of Imo State. He is the current Chairman of IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union) Young Parliamentarians’ Forum (YPF) Nigerian Chapter. He speaks with our correspondents, Chika Onuorah and Ebere Ude, on the outcome of a recent interaction between YPF and some US lawmakers.
Que: Could you let the readers into your world, your person?
I am Honourable Nnanna Rapheal Igbokwe, a member representing Ahiazu/Ezinite Mbaise Federal constituency of Imo State. I am currently the Chairman of the IPU young Parliamentarians’ forum, Nigerian Chapter. I am also the African Representative on the governing board of the IPU young parliamentarians’ Forum. The IPU is the Inter-parliamentary Union, the umbrella body for all Parliaments’ in the world. The IPU young parliamentarian Forum is charged with the responsibility of enhancing greater participation of young people in governance, in democratic process and decision making at all levels in the society. It helps to support young people in giving them more visibility and for their voice to be heard. We preach and propagate the creation of inclusive and tolerant society by the government. To give room to accommodate young people and we pursue this through three major strategies, through advocacy, through legislation and through mentorship. I am a second timer; I have also been a member of the State House of Assembly. I have been there twice and having been here twice, I am now having over fifteen years of legislative experience.
Que: From your interaction with fellow US lawmakers, do you think that the critics of NASS constituency project are right about their opinion?
It was clear they are wrong; the records are there. It was recorded and taped. I asked that question, that we want to see what the practice there (US) is, if it is different and it was clear. The US representative from Florida was very clear on their system there. Rep Jose Diaz, from the Florida House of Representatives, he is 35years and he is a second or third timer. So, we asked, do you have powers there, to make inputs into the budget in terms of bringing in infrastructure and he was very clear, that yes, they have the authority to make addition or contribution into the budgets as it affects the life of the critical services and infrastructural areas. In their practice there, it is even done based on your ranking in the parliaments. So, for the senior ones, they have a level or limit of amount of projects they can come up with. They also have a responsibility to assist the younger ones in making sure that they get in their own rights or bring in certain level of amount of projects into the budget and which is just similar with what we have here. The Chairmen of committees, principal officers, they have a wider range of projects they can initiate into the project, based on seniority. For the younger and new ones, you also have your own limit and it’s clear. It’s about influencing the value or volume of money allocated for certain projects. Projects are not given to Honourable members; you are only given the opportunity to initiate, to recommend. It is taken that you are closer to the people that is why the responsibility of accountability is more placed on us because people see us as the major representative of the people. People back home in the village there, the old women and men there, don’t have the capacity to discern, that No, this person is in the executive and this person is in the legislature, they just know that all of you are in government. So, seeing you pass, as far as you are in government, they casted their votes for you, they tell you about all their problems. They don’t understand that there are roads that are state roads, that are local government roads and Federal roads. All they know is that the Nkwo Obodojushi road is not good, I cannot take my wares to the market and it is purely a State road and you don’t have any excuse to give. So, that is why we have this responsibility that wherever we find ourselves, things should work because at the end of the day, you will be held accountable directly or indirectly by the people. So, you could see that the system was, in fact, to me, good; it cleared the air because the issue of constituency projects has been misconceived. Many people think that they take this money and hand over to the members to go and execute, no. Members are only given the privilege to nominate, to recommend, to introduce into the budget. But the actual implementation, execution is in the hands of the executives. So if I had recommended for water project worth up to fifty million naira, maybe ten million naira in five communities and I decide the best agency to do it because it is a water project is Anambra Imo River Basin and I now initiate into that agency. There is a process of procurement for award of contract. It is not done by my office; River Basin has to advertise, has to call in for expression of interest or bids. The bids have to be opened; the best bidder gets it and the contract is awarded. The funds are released to the agency; the agency does the supervision and, based on your work rate, they pay you and conclude. As you can see, the execution power is in the hands of the executives. To initiate is one thing; to get the job executed and completed is another thing. So also to get payment for the job is another thing. You find out most times, due to inadequate funds, the agencies tell you they cannot complete those projects because they don’t have enough fund. They are more interested in the project they initiated themselves. This is where we have problem. I will call on the government to look into the civil service to be able to distil the budgetary presentation they make to them to actually see, especially now they are coming up with the zero budgeting, to actually see if those projects are going to add value to the system and are also going to help government meet their general policies. Most of the projects initiated from the government departments are done by the Directors. The Director who is from Gbajyi is interested in bringing a project to Gbajyi. So he will be interested in releasing money for those projects he has interests. It’s not an indictment but it’s something that happens and these things need to be corrected. Let’s now believe that with the zero budgeting, if anything naturally comes into the budget that means it will be executed, that means that anything that is cleared that comes into budget, that means there is money to fund it and it’s going to add value and its going to help the government meet its general or global objective. So far, it was a good experience (interacting with the US lawmakers); we were able to compare notes on the workings down here and the workings over there especially on the issue of constituency projects.
- Issue of accountability
On the issue of accountability, we also drew some experiences from them: both Jose Diaz and Crisanta Duran from Colorado made it clear, they are always on Facebook; they always reach out; they always do town hall meetings, get back to their constituencies. Jose was very emphatic that he always tried to reply every mail that comes to his office and he tries to get back to the people and make the people know how far he is and what he is doing even though the projects are not completed. What we observed, is that the literacy level there is high, their value system is different. To them, the value system is this: I placed a call, then you were able to return my call or I wrote you a letter and you were able to reply my letter, you were able to come and let them know how much you are doing in any legislation, how far you have gone, what you are doing about the budgeting. They realise the executive powers is not in your hands. But, what is the value system here? The value system is totally different. You are rated as performing if one, you come back home and what hand-outs you are able to give out, I mean financial assistance. So, averagely, each day if you get 100 calls, 80 of them are all for financial assistance. So back home, people want to see you: yes, have you brought us water, brought us light, brought us good hospital and access roads, those amenities that makes life meaningful? These are our value systems and so I ask them: do you also have the powers to initiate, recommend and introduce projects into the budget? And which answer is yes, and when they introduce, the executing authorities are bound to carry and execute them. But here, do we have the same scenario? And we are gradually moving to a point, if what we are hearing by the grievance is anything to go by, which is that the government is not prepared to give us any opening to make contributions into the budgets.
- Adding value to my constituents
So, how will I add value to my people? Because they don’t know the federal government; they don’t know Buhari as a person; they feel that anything that is due to them at the National level should be brought back to me; that is what they have sent me here for, and the only way I can make an impact back home is to be able to point out one or two things I have been able to initiate. You have very bad light supply; I got you extra transformers; I have been able to renovate your schools; I have been able to make your roads accessible; you can now carry your wares to the market freely; I have been able to do this; I have been able to do that. In all, we intend to invite these US legislators to come here; we are in a discussion with the Embassy to see how to get them down here so that we can hold an open public conference or hearing, so that people appreciate the practice in other jurisdictions and see that it is not peculiar about here and it’s not about any selfish move or any personal interest; that it is the convention everywhere.
Que: What is your take on the zero budgeting?
The function of the legislature is to query the how and not the why. Whatever is their policy, the executive has that right to roll out their policy, but we can question how that policy has been carried out to meet the needs of the people. I don’t have any problem with zero budgeting. Time will tell by the time we start the commencement and the implementation of the zero budgeting. Zero budgeting is all about starting from the scratch, making proposals of only projects that are visible and that can be completed, that there are enough resources to complete. Zero budgeting, in a way, does not believe in existing ongoing projects with the little understanding I have. So, whatever is coming on board, there is fund for it and that project helps add to the overall value the government is trying to add, meets the intention, the vision and mission of the policy of the government. The officers responsible for generating these projects have to show how, because if the government, for instance, has a general policy, maybe eradicating polio by 2020, you have to show in the Ministry of Health how these projects help in achieving that final aim, how they help in contributing to the final aim. This can be visible especially in areas of services, public services and whatever. But I wonder in critical physical infrastructures, there are certain projects you can’t just finish them in one year. In a normal house building, there is a time when you did your foundation and set the foundation; there is a time you must allow for the blocks you set to get firm, when you deck; you don’t deck and the next day you start losing; you must give an average of a period of three weeks, two weeks, one month before you raise it. In such huge projects with huge capital outlay with very huge designs and requirements that may not be able to finish in a year, how would they manage it and bring it up in the coming year? One thing that has not been streamlined also, we would wait until when the budget comes, is in view of this line of argument. What happens to the financial directive of regulation existing like that at every 31st of December, unused capital funds should be returned to the treasury? If funds have been earmarked for building of six classrooms blocks and at 31st December it wasn’t used, will it still be returned or if in the strict interpretation and adherence to the spirit of the zero budgeting, any project coming up has its resources stated out. So, will those resources be kept, earmarked for till the completion of that project or will at 31st December, be returned? That project, how do we do it? Do we bring it back as an ongoing project? What is the machinery on ground that will keep track of projects because that is the bane of the old system? Every year you see ongoing project; you cannot at any point establish the original value of the project. This is N50 million; it is started 10 years ago; how much has been spent so far? Maybe you have up to 10 or 20 million naira; in the new year, the records does not show that this value of money has been expended and this is what is left to complete it; over the years, the contractors come to you to tell you about time value of money, increase in prices of materials and the need for you to adjust the contract sum again. That vicious circle just continues like that; so you find a project for eternity is not to be completed. The issue is making sure that the funds are paid so that the cases of upward review of projects don’t come due to inflation or due to delay in payments. The contractors will tell you it is not their fault; it is because you were unable to pay as and when due; therefore, the cost of materials have gone up and you need to do an upward review of the contract; so, these are the little things that still need to be addressed but in the general principle and spirit of the zero budgeting, we will give it our cooperation for it to take off. Well, the final execution of that budget still rests on the part of the Executive; so much is expected from them to make sure they practise what they preach.
Que: How can the misconception of Nigerians towards discerning between the role of the Executive and that of the Legislature be corrected?
We need the support of everybody, the civil societies, NGOs and the executive. In fact, they are causing the more problems because they go and tell them back home that the lawmaker is supposed to do this for you and do that for you. These blame games have to stop and let’s face the reality and tell people the truth. So, we need to do a lot of public education and create the necessary awareness, and you see, it is better when it is done by neutral people who understand this. You understand that purely in the strict sense of it, the legislator is only expected to make good laws and influence good policies that will affect the lives of the people. We are not in the executive; we don’t approve projects; we don’t advertise; we don’t issue out money. It is only the elite and literate minds that understand this, and what is the percentage of this people? Most of them don’t vote; they don’t come out on voting day. Most of them, their children are not around; it is only those local people that are always available at any time to come and cast their votes and it is their votes that determine whether or not you are here. So there is more need for orientation; we want to call on the National Orientation Agency, Civil Societies, even the religious groups to help us to educate the people. Unfortunately, part of it is that there is hunger in the land and it is putting undue pressure on people; it is a reflection…. This is how you get the rating, I must tell you in the past five months, the number of calls I received is three times more than I used to receive before; it is an indicator that things are not getting any better yet.
