BY SEGUN ADEBAYO, ABUJA – Following what looked like a deliberate act to prevent a petition by concerned Nigerians resident in the United States of America from Benue State from being presented and laid before the House of Representatives, the Middle Belt Journalists Forum (MBJF), ha described the Deputy Speaker of the Green Chamber, Hon Ahmed Idris Wase as a complete disappointment to the process of lawmaking and a shame to his constituency.
The MBJF which stated this shortly after rising from a crucial meeting on Wednesday, equally passed a vote of no confidence on Idris Wase, asking him to step aside from the office of the Deputy Speaker and face a possible recall from his angry constituents.
This is as the Forum noted that the action of Idris Wase, to say the least, appeared to have encouraged the killer herdsmen, armed bandits and terrorists to sustain their heinous acts against innocent Nigerians in general and the middle belt in particular”.
The MBJF particularly condemned the way and manner Idris Wase deliberately dismissed a petition seeking to draw the attention of the lawmakers to the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Benue State and other states within the Middle Belt.
The petition had sought to highlight the plight of IDPs and the continued illegal and unconstitutional occupation of their ancestral lands by their attackers, adding that the situation in Benue is similar to many places in the Middle Belt including Plateau State from where Idris Wase hails from.
These were contained in a statement jointly signed by the President of the MBJF, Jonathan IPAA and the National Secretary, Mrs Oikeke Igado Kure, in which they noted that the issues at stake are clearly within the purview of violation of fundamental human rights.
The MBJF further stated; “As a beneficiary of democracy which catapulted him into the exalted office of Deputy Speaker, we expect Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase to toe the line of civility and to have allowed the petition to be heard and laid. By this, the Deputy Speaker would have defended his constituents who are now suffering in the various IDP camps across the zone.
“The question to ask is: “Does it matter the residency status of who draws attention to a crime or injustice? The posture of the Deputy Speaker as Presiding Officer suggests that he calls the shots and determined the petition to be heard irrespective of its merit.
“As a lawmaker of about 16 years at the National Assembly, what was expected of him was to refer the matter to the relevant committee to investigate and report back to the House and not to shut it down.
“This has put to question his sixteen years of legislative experience as a federal lawmaker,” the statement said.
The MBJF also noted that it is contradictory that Nigeria’s government established the Diaspora Commission and Nigerians in different parts of the World are making remittances back home, yet, their petition concerning their kindred at home will be treated with contempt by a lawmaker simply because he had the privilege to preside over the Green Chamber.
The Forum further states; “The lawmaker from Benue, Hon. Mark Terseer Gbillah and the IDPs deserve an apology for the manner in which their petition was treated and so also the Internally Displaced Persons littered all over the land and those whose land have been forcefully taken over by these armed herders”.
The MBJF stressed that the continuous occupation of the IDPs ancestral land has made them more vulnerable and increased the poverty level in Nigeria as they can no longer go to their farm or carryout any economic activity.
“What we expect from elected representatives and those in government is servant leadership and accountability by fairness, equity and justice,” the statement enthused.
