One of the trending barbs among Nigerians is how President Muhammadu Buhari is shopping for angels and saints to populate his cabinet. If the lists he submitted to Senate is anything to go by, the president has certainly got his shopping list right to an extent because of the caliber of nominees and ministers designate that will be joining his cabinet. Those named to be part of the cabinet may not be angels in the religious sense of it but their records definitely stand them out.
Senator Heineken Lokpobiri is one of the nominees, whose stature eminently qualifies him for the latest national assignment to which he has been appointed. One can only try to enumerate the sterling qualities and relevance of Heineken Lokpobiri as the ministerial nominee from Bayelsa State as the exercise would end up being prolonged. His stint as the Speaker of Bayelsa State House of Assembly form part of the experience he would be coming on board with. Given the usual friction in the relationship between the executive and legislative arms, Lokpobiri’s background thus offers a guarantee that, like other nominees with legislative background, the contacts in the National Assembly can be exploited to push through with needed reforms when the time comes.
As chairman Senate Committee on Water Resources during his second term as senator, he did a lot to improve on water governance in the country. His first term as senator was equally eventful during the 6th National Assembly, as he chaired the Senate Sport committee and served in many other committees like Public Accounts, Police Affairs, Niger Delta and Millennium Development Goals in addition to chairing the Senate ad-hoc committee on Transport.
The July 2009 passage of the National Agency for Elderly Persons bill, sponsored by Senator Lokpobiri in the Senate is an indication of his disposition to cater for the society’s vulnerable. The bill, which will give legal support, welfare and recreational facilities to elderly people in the country, is a confirmation that Senator Lokpobiri constantly has the welfare of Nigerians at heart.
On another front, the measure of peace the nation enjoys in the Niger Delta today has the input of Senator Lokpobiri who used his position as a federal lawmaker to ensure the problem of militancy was quelled. He actively supported and encouraged the amnesty negotiations and supported the federal government’s amnesty programme for former agitators. He makes no secret of his belief that sustainable development in the Niger Delta and by extention the whole of Nigeria is best achieved when there is peace in the area. Through his legislative prowess, this goal was achieved.
The stabilising role he played in preventing the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Bayelsa State from becoming acrimonious is also to be commended at a time like this. Usually, people tend to stick to their guns in internal political party matters while portraying a different front nationally. But Lokpobiri worked for his party’s cohesion at the expense of his own interests.
Ordinarily, one should not bring up internal party issues when discussing something as critical as the nation’s incoming cabinet but it is noteworthy that a man who can jettison his own interest for the peace of his party must definitely be willing to sacrifice even more for his nation.
These qualities must have formed part of the reason the state governor, Seriake Dickson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appealed to National Assembly lawmakers from the state to close ranks and work to ensure Senator Heineken Lokpobiri successfully passes the Senate screening as a ministerial nominee.
Dickson captured the essence of the nominee’s personality when he alluded the development of Bayelsa State being a collective responsibility since this has always been a position promoted by Lokpobiri.
Beyond the state governor, several Ijaw groups have hailed Lokpobiri’s nomination with some indicating that the development is a master stroke on Buhari’s part as it would help change the impression the region has about him. For instance, the chairman of the Young Ijaw Diaspora Professionals Forum (YIDPF), Mr. Bulouowei Davidson, said Lopobiri’s emergence may be a turning point for the Ijaw and that there was an opportunity for both President Muhammadu Buhari and the ministerial nominee to exploit in this direction.
Senator Lokpobiri’s usefulness to the change agenda that President Buhari promised Nigerians is thus something to be upbeat about as his well coordinated approach to issues of the Niger Delta region will come in handy. In the past, he has proven himself as someone whose followership cuts across the entire region and beyond. This will again come into play as he takes up the latest national assignment.
The fortunate thing is that one is confident that the Senate, made up of distinguished Nigerians, will see the sterling qualities of Senator Heineken Lokpobiri and confirm him to contribute his quota to the change agenda. The confirmation will further go to confirm what Nigerians already know about Lokpobiri’s competence. Little minds should not be allowed to hold the nation back.
–Agbese is a writer and researcher.
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