BY MOSES IDIKA
A former member of the House of Representatives, HON. LINUS OKORIE has described the postponement of resumption of plenary by the National Assembly amidst the agitations over the increment of fuel and electricity tariff as “anti people” and dereliction of duty on the part of the lawmakers as the representatives on the people.
OKORIE in press statement he issued in Abakaliki on Sunday lamented that the National Assembly should have cut short its recess in the first place to attend to the agitations and yearnings of Nigerians, yet it is still continuing on its trajectory of playing the “ostrich” while the people of Nigeria suffocate under strangulating and obtuse government economic policies.
“The present NASS should not adopt the ostrich approach to the pains and suffering of the Nigerian masses, whose voice they represent. Doing so, would leave them with a collective legacy of failure, the caliber of which has yet to be witnessed in our political history.
“The postponement of NASS resumption, whatever the reasons may be, at this time of fuel and electricity price increases is to say the least anti-people. One had expected an emergency summoning of both chambers back from recess to address the two vexed issues as in the 2012 example. To now push forward the prior scheduled resumption by two weeks, in the midst of various threats of mass protest by different groups and stakeholders, is very insensitive,” the former lawmaker said.
OKORIE, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who represented Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo Federal Constituency of Ebonyi state in the 7th and 8th National Assembly called on the National Assembly “not lose its cardinal role as the voice and mirror of the wishes of the people.”
He called on the leadership and members of the National Assembly to stand their ground and maintain the September 15, 2020 scheduled resumption date to enable them play their in “speaking up” to protect their constituents.
“I am calling on the leadership of both chambers and NASS management to rescind the announced postponement of resumption and stick to the scheduled September 15, 2020 date; since they have unfortunately failed to cut short the recess, resume and address the very urgent issues of fuel price increase (deregulation) and electricity tariff increase.
“I also call on other members of the 9th NASS to speak up and demand their leadership to adhere to the previous resumption date so they can respectively speak for and in protection of their constituents.
“Nigerians needs all of them to stand up for them at critical point of need” OKORIE added.
