Following the reactions that trailed the attack on Senator Ike Ekweremadu, a few weeks ago by members of IPOB, Dr. Peter Ejirika, former Biafran Airforce Pilot has told the Igbo politicians the only way to avoid public assaults by their constituents.
Dr. Ejirika, in an article titled; “The Nuremberg New Yam Trial Dichotomy”, analyse the work of an elected legislator and what is being experience today.
The article sent to ABACITYBLOG, reads thus;
“The City of Nuremberg was rightly chosen as a site for the Summary Trial of the Legislators and Politicians of Eastern Nigerian Political Sub Division for their performance as representatives of this political entity.
“The City of Nuremberg has a historical significance starting from the days of the Holy Roman Empire to the era of the trials of Nazi Veterans in 1945 by a Tribunal of the Allied Forces. The City was rightly chosen as the site for conducting the Ibo Cultural New Yam Festival of 2019 so that Igbos would have a Soul-Searching Experience in order to address the philosophical question, where do we go from here and for the Jihadists to reminiscent on the flamboyant Nazi Party Conventions of the thirties.
“Though before one could constructively take sides with the outcome of this summary trial one has to understand the job descriptions of a legislator, a senator or a representative in federal system of government in which the constituent states are neither autonomous nor can enact laws and the job descriptions of these legislators include the following:
- To review or listen to the concerns of the constituents on a daily basis by reading emails, mailed letters and receiving telephone calls
- To listen to the concerns of the constituents by receiving them in the office via scheduled meetings or offsite visits
- To attend meetings with lobbying groups, business owners, legislators and other key political figures on a daily basis
- To review current laws and statutes to determine where stated concerns fall within existing legislation
- To research and write new legislation to address concerns if nothing is in place
- To attend scheduled governing body meetings to discuss current issues and propose new legislation on a scheduled basis
- To propose new laws and support the written legislation with evidence that they are necessary, including research, final studies result and legislative and constituent arguments during the scheduled governing body meetings
- To persuade fellow legislators to approve and enact proposed legislation during the scheduled governing body meetings and see approved legislation through to its confirmation.
“A review of these job duties suggest that they can be classified into two classes, introduction of a bill and participating in senate committees. The later implies that a state senator identifies new laws that need to be passed, works with staff to thoroughly research the topic of a new bill and networks with senate colleagues and meets with associations and other groups to gain support for new legislation before introducing a bill.
“State Senators work with their teams and with the legislative counsel’s office to draft an official bill. Once the bill is finalized, a senator sends the new bill to the senate desk while the former entails serving on one or more legislative committees which is an important part of a state senator’s job. Committees have regularly scheduled meetings to review proposed legislation.
“At each meeting, committee members listen to presentations from bill sponsors and public testimony from lobbyists and other interested parties. Senators discuss new bills among themselves, offer opinions and propose amendments. They vote on each bill with their recommendations for action by the senate, such as not passing a law or passing a law as amended by the committee. After the bill clears a committee, it may be sent to another committee or to the senate floor for a vote.
“The question that needs to be asked is did Ike Ekweremadu and his colleagues perform any of these functions and specifically, did any of the legislators represent the will of the people or did any of these legislators or politicians introduce a Bill on the floor of the house on Biafran Referendum or the Abandoned Property Issue?
“The Will of the Ibos is the restoration of the Third Biafran Republic but no legislator or representative thought about bringing this concern and desire to the fore front of his or her agenda by presenting these wishes of their constituents to the legislature. Since the answer to any of these questions is in the negative, the question arises as to what were the legislators doing for the people to justify their earnings?
“The negative answer to the last question provides a justification for the uncomplimentary manner in which Ike Ekweremadu was treated or accosted. The moral lesson to all Eastern Nigerian Politicians or legislators if you are deficient of the moral character or the will to introduce a bill on the Biafran Referendum or the restoration of the third Biafran Republic, please look for another means of making a living and refrain from misrepresenting the people.
Hail Biafra, the land of the High Need Achievers, the Descendants of the Ibo Women Tax Revolt of 1929.
