Speaker of the House, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila on Thursday released his committee list that best could be described as a time bomb waiting to detonate.
Never in the history of all the assemblies in Nigeria that a list of committee Chairmanship has been so laced with so much vendetta.
All those perceived to have voted against the Lagos politician were dumped in the garbage.
His henchmen got all the juicy committees while those in the opposition perceived to have voted against him were properly thrashed.
They were simply given graveyard committees including Hon Umar Bago the only man that dared him.
Bago was not spared and Hon John Dyegh despite dumping his speakership ambition at the last minute was made to chair an invisible committee.
Top ranking lawmakers that had acquired legislative experience over the years were made ordinary floor members.
Hon Chukwuma Oyeama, Hon Tajudeen Yusuf, Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, Kingsley Ogundu Chinda, Mark Gbillah, Solomon Maren, Rimamande Shawhulu and others were denied the opportunity to exhibit their legislative business experience.
Out of 105 committees , 82 All Progressives Congress, APC lawmakers were anointed committee chairmen.
The Peoples Democratic party, PDP got 13 while other political parties got 5.
It’s pure and simple, Gbajabiamila simply followed the instructions of his party leaders.
APC Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole had vowed before now that opposition parties will not get juicy committees.
As it is they got nothing!
His vow has been crystallized by his anointed candidate blessed by the all powerful leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
For posterity sake let us take a cursory look at what Aminu Tambuwal and Yakubu Dogara did in their time.
In the composition of heads, Dogara’s key men clinched headship of juicy Committees such as Appropriation which was chaired by Abdulmunin Jibrin, Rima Shawulu Kwewum headed Army, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Aviation, Zakari Mohammed, Basic Education, Chike Okafor, Healthcare Services and Aminu Shehu Shagari Federal Judiciary.
Also not left out were the core supporters of the House Leader, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila as they were also compensated with juicy committees such as Customs headed by James Faleke, and Rufa’i Chachangi as the Vice Chairman of the committee, Sani Zoro heads the newly created Internally Displaced Persons, IDP and Garba Muhammed as the committee chairman on Solid Minerals.
There was also a balance between the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the ruling party APC, heads 48 Committees, PDP 45 while All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA and the Social Democratic Party, SDP got one chairmanship slot each.
In the composition, the South heads 46 Committees while the North heads 50.
The above was what transpired in the immediate past Assembly of the House of Representatives.
In 2011, Tambuwal brought both those that openly attacked him and anointed them with juicy committees.
One of the biggest beneficiaries was Dogara who initially never supported Tambuwal and he got the committee on Welfare Services.
Gbajabiamila as House minority leader even struck out names of Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa and Hon Jumoke Okoya-Thomas because they were considered enemies.
But Tambuwal magnanimously cleared them and gave them committees.
Where is Gbajabiamila’s magnanimity in victory? How can he run a House with so many still born babies in parliamentary duties.
No attempt to even balance the composition based on Federal Character?
The House has adjourned for six weeks, this is definitely a list laced with atomic bomb.
