Rt Hon Dimeji Bankole, the Speaker of the House of Representatives

This month marks the 10-year anniversary of true democracy in Nigeria when the people regained the legislative power in the National Assembly from successive military governments. TradeInvestNigeria spoke to the Rt Honourable Dimeji Bankole, Speaker of the House of Representatives, about the critical role the House plays in upholding democracy and creating a favourable environment for business.

The 2nd of June 2009 passed as an unremarkable day in the political history of the world's oldest democracies. The British Parliament were in full-scale retreat under the expenses scandal. President Barack Obama continued to learn that running a country is more difficult than winning an election and across Europe politicians debated whether a more or less integrated political union is in the best wishes of the people they seek to serve.

But for the Rt Honourable Dimeji Bankole, Speaker of the House of Representatives in the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2 June 2009 marked a milestone of altogether more substantial importance.

In a country and indeed a continent where democracy itself remains a fragile and immature institution, a tender stem entrusted to those in political office to be nurtured and grown, the 10-year anniversary of uninterrupted democratic governance in Nigeria was an event of genuine significance.

Strengthening and growing democracy

As the holder of the most senior office in the House of Representatives, arguably the most democratic institution in Nigeria in terms of its 360 members, Bankole carries a greater responsibility than most to ensure that the institution of democracy in Nigeria strengthens and grows during his tenure. Compared to counterparts in other countries who are merely operating already established democratic institutions, the infancy of Nigeria's democracy makes his role much more challenging.

But when asked if he could summarise his specific role as Speaker, Bankole is keen to impress that his role is simply an extension of the role and work of the House as a whole.

"You have to start with the work of the House. The role of a member of the House has to do with representation, lawmaking and oversight. Representation is done through the constituency structure whereby the people have a voice in government. The National Assembly, namely the Senate and the House of Representatives, as lawmakers, seek to continually improve the governance and development of the county by making good laws to the benefit of its people and then oversight, whereby the house must ask the right questions of the executive to ensure there is accountability. As Speaker my role is simply to moderate these functions using the instrumentality of the House rules and steer legislative business toward good governance.

"The role of the Speaker in the Nigerian Federal system is fundamentally different to that of say the role of the Speaker in the British parliament. In Britain the Speaker is elected by the House and must be seen to be impartial to the main political parties. Furthermore the parties agree not to contest his seat while in office.

"In a federal system like that of Nigeria, the Speaker is elected from the majority party to ensure, as best as he can, that the political will of that party is executed and opposition to the party in the House is managed. It requires the delicate balance of representing and delivering the policy ambitions of the majority party but doing it a manner whereby opposition members are brought rather than dragged along. These duties are mostly conducted within the House during the day but when required late into the evenings!

"In Nigeria the different political parties are not split by clear lines of ideology, for example left and right. Rather because of the young and fluid history of party politics where members have begun in one party and may have moved to another, you can find a full spectrum of views on each issue within each party. Therefore part of my role is to identify those across the house that hold consensus on the key issues and build support from there."

Through our conversation, Bankole's belief in and commitment to communication is clear. He has been a tireless representative for the House of Representatives across the country and internationally. He maintains relationships with all sectors and groups within the country whether they be religious, racial or political groups and has extensive contact and communication with other speakers from other states of the federation. He also regularly visits other international legislative institutions in Africa, Europe and the Middle East and currently chairs the Afro-Arab Parliament.

In the course of his daily business he also stresses the importance of humility and openness.

"I would like to think my style as Speaker is humble. My door is always open. Members who want to speak to me do not have to make an appointment. They just come to my office. I have to try as best as possible to keep abreast of all the key issues and protocols but when I need assistance you also have to be humble enough to ask."

Ensuring a favourable business environment

For the global business and investor community the will and effectiveness of Nigeria's legislators to create and sustain a business friendly environment is paramount. However if the Executive is not implementing and enforcing that legislation, then ultimately that legislation, however well-intentioned is meaningless. It is no co-incidence that the hallmark of the Bankole tenure has been a focus on the role of oversight. None more so than the House of Representatives no-holes-barred investigation into the implementation of crucial power projects.

"Legislative actions determine the environment for investors and we have focused on some key areas in this regard based upon the seven-point agenda of the President. For example reforming the power sector has been a key priority. But our function has extended beyond the passing of bills. We have conducted extensive research on every state contract that was awarded in this sector and investigated what has actually been completed. Unsurprisingly there were substantial discrepancies and therefore having identified and quantified those, we have been turning up the heat so that contractors who have not met their obligations are now acutely aware that they must deliver.

"Then we have the Public Procurement Bill that has been passed into law. This is a bill that sets out the process for the awarding of state contracts to ensure transparency and due process."

Keeping the budget in check

But perhaps the most significant achievements of the current Speaker's drive for oversight and accountability have been in the area of budgetary policy. On an annual basis the Executive presents the National Assembly with the Appropriation Bill (budget) which once reviewed, debated and where relevant, amended, is then passed into law.

It was no secret that historically funds distributed to the Executive and States as per the budget were spent on only a fraction of the projects for which they were identified.

Over the last two years Bankole and the House of Representatives have pushed harder and harder to address this massive loss of state resources.

"In 2008 when the Appropriation Bill came to the House and when we asked what amount from the 2007 bill was unspent we were given a figure of U$150 million, this from a budget of $6-7 billion. We decided to institute our own research on this figure. When that was completed that figure had become $4 billion. This gives you a sense of the scale of funds that the country was losing through failure to enforce proper budgetary process. But it also gave the House and the Executive the impetus to properly address the issue of budget implementations. Indeed, in the 2009 Appropriation Bill, a figure of $3 billion was returned from 2008 to be carried forward to this fiscal year. That's $3 billion of additional funds that can be spent on the development of the country.

"Equally from the investigations of the House Finance Committee, it was discovered that over $29.2 billion was unremitted to the federation account by revenue generating ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) as they should under the constitution in the last five years. Ordinarily, these should be remitted for appropriation by the Legislature. It is a huge leakage that no useful explanation has been given and we are looking at possible amendments of laws to address the issue."

The magnitude of this achievement should not be understated. After 40 years of military rule the Executive simply did not have an experience of being asked questions by the House of Representatives and in the first democratic term between 1999 and 2003 this led to continual conflict. But gradually over the last 10 years and particularly under Bankole's watch, the House has become more assertive in its role as overseer and the benefits are clear.

Crisis in the Delta

The democratic institutions of the country may be strengthening daily but the international community view the escalating crisis in the Niger Delta as the biggest threat to Nigeria's stability and it remains as big a factor in investor wariness as corruption or power problems. There is a growing body of opinion that say the crisis is reaching the point of no-return. Oil production in the second quarter of 2009 reached a low of 50% of capacity at a time when the country requires every bit of income it can muster. What does the Speaker make of this perception?

"I would start by saying that over the last two years the current administration has done more for the Niger Delta than any previous administration in seeking to provide an equitable status quo. To quantify this statement, N2 trillion of the state budget allocation goes to nine states in the Niger Delta. Or put another way, two-thirds of the entire budget allocated to the states in the region, which is half the entire budget goes to nine states out of 36. Therefore no-one can argue that in monetary terms the federal government is not seeking to ensure an equitable distribution.

"Furthermore the federal government has set-up the Niger Delta Ministry to enhance the work of the existing Niger Delta Development Commission in seeking to find a long term solution.

"Then it is important to understand that it is the responsibility of the state government and not the federal government to implement investment in basic education, primary healthcare, etc. to ensure the people benefit. The problem is that in many of the states in the South-South this is not being done.

"There are examples in the Niger Delta where effective leadership is transforming regions. For example in Akwa Ibom where the state government is using their budget effectively and implementing many projects with tangible results. It's no co-incidence that there are no militants and no kidnappings there. For whatever reason this doesn’t seem to be happening in all states but it perhaps shows what could be achieved if the model of leadership and implementation in Awka Ibom could be replicated across the region.

"Also, President Umaru Yar'Adua, on the advice of the National Council of State, the highest advisory body to the President, has made an "Amnesty Proclamation" for militants of the Niger Delta region which I believe would go a long way in resolving the crisis."

It probably should come as no surprise that Bankole is prepared, even in diplomatic terms, to ask questions of the leadership of the states in the Niger Delta about their role in solving the crisis. It embodies a understanding and a commitment to role of the House of Representatives in holding the leadership of Nigeria accountable to the people of Nigeria. And this Speaker is clear when asked of his hopes of the future of the House.

"My prayers for the House would be in the regard of capacity. By that I mean capacity of individuals, capacity of management, and capacity of the institution. In short, to continually improve the capacity of the House of Representatives to function effectively. One of the major problems we are faced with currently is that less than 20% of the House is re-elected for a second term. This turnover impedes individual development and therefore impedes the development of the institution. I sincerely hope that over the coming years we get to a situation where 50-60% of the members are returned and therefore a level of continuity and stability that will assist in capacity building will be achieved."

There are no short-cuts to nation building. Corruption, lack of individual and collective capacity and a dislocated population make building a stable and prosperous Nigeria a gargantuan challenge. But as the last 10 years show, brick by brick and day by day Nigeria is being built. And it is the work and focus of the key officers of Nigeria like the Speaker and the institutions that they lead, who by tackling one issue at a time, or brick by brick, are building an ever stronger, and ever more robust democratic nation.

Contact Details

OFFICE OF THE SPEAKER
National Assembly Complex
Three Arms Zone
Abuja, Nigeria

MAILING ADDRESS
Office of The Speaker
PMB 141
Three Arm Zone
Abuja, Nigeria

TELEPHONE AND FAX
Tel: +234 (0)9 460 25158
Fax: +234 (0)9 460 25189

EMAILS
admin@speakersoffice.gov.ng
admin@speakersoffice.gov.ng

WEBSITE
www.speakersoffice.gov.ng