8th Assembly Not Driven By Re-Election, But Performance – Dogara

The 8th House of Representatives are driven by the zeal to perform and impact on the overall betterment of Nigerians as true leaders, Speaker Yakubu Dogara has declared.

Speaking at the event to mark the 2nd anniversary of the 8th Assembly, Dogara said the 8th House of Representatives has been consistent in putting the interest of their constituents first above personal interests and working to create an environment in which they can flourish.

He said, “It is important to ask ourselves some hard questions. Have we always placed the interest of our Constituents and Nigerians first in all our endeavours? Have we always placed national interest above self, regional and other interests? Are we patriotic or partisan?

“Have we used our legislative authority to expose corruption, inefficiency and waste in government activities? Have we made laws for the peace, order, and good government of Nigeria? Have we shown fidelity to the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy enshrined in Chapter two of the Constitution?

“The answer to above posers is the criteria and yardstick to assess who we are. Are we leaders or mere politicians?

The Speaker maintained that the difference is that while politicians are just interested in the next election, leaders are cultural architects because they create the environment by which others can grow and flourish.

He further said; “On my part, I will answer the above posers with qualifications. Yes, we have done reasonably well in most of the indices indicated. But there is a very large room to do even more.”