The member representing Toungo, Ganye, Jada and Mayo Belwa federal constituency in the house of representatives, Hon Abdulrazaq Namdas, has disclosed that democracy especially in the last five years has served his people very well.
The lawmaker who made the disclosure during a chat with some journalists in Yola, ascribed some of the landmark feats attained to be the result of a renewed synergy between the executive and legislative arms of government.
He noted that democracy has benefitted his constituency significantly through the award of a N22.7 billion road network which traverses the four local governments of his constituency, in addition to a litany of other constituency projects.
Namdas noted that the road project has open up socio economic activities and ease of doing business in the area, adding that before the road project, it takes him three hours to access his country home adding that with the road project, the time has been cut off by half.
He debunked insinuations making the rounds that the legislature has become an appendage of the executive arm noting that the legislative arm has been carrying out its functions aimed at ensuring effective checks and balances, good governance and also making robust laws that enhance the welfare of the people.
“The truth is that the people are interested in dividends of democracy. When our people send us to represent them nobody said you should be fighting. But when your people are shortchanged, that is when you fight.
“In the past one year and in the previous years, no one attempted to shortchange me. I was able to be part of a process that produced N22.7 billion road network from Mayo Belwa to Toungo.
“We have passed resolution and told the executive to disengage the service chiefs, is that what you call rubber stamp?
“I can tell you Nigerians are no longer interested in fighting, they are interested in dividends of democracy. Whenever there are issues that have to do with the people, we will surely do the bidding of the people,” he said.
Namdas noted that if not for the renewed synergy between the executive and legislative arms of government, the incursion of the novel COVID-19 pandemic would have completely annihilate Nigeria’s economy.
“I can tell you that we have a very good working relationship with the executive. For the first time in the history of the national assembly, we were able to approve a budget that will start 1st January.
” This is a serious and great achievement. If we have not approved 2020 budget in December 2019, you could imagine what will have happened with COVID-19. We usually approve budget in June and COVID-19 hit us somewhere three months back. There could have been serious crisis,” he said.
Namdas noted that in celebration of the democracy day, he will commission some projects in his constituency including commissioning a transformer in one of his constituency that has been in darkness for 10 months and sundry other projects.
