Why Taraba Assembly leadership was changed New speaker

Category: Inside politics Published on Thursday, 25 April 2013 05:00 Written by Itodo Daniel Sule, Jalingo
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Haruna Tsokwa became the Speaker for the Taraba State House of Assembly following the impeachment of the former Speaker, Istifanus Haruna Gbana on Monday. In this interview, Tsokwa speaks on his plan as Speaker and refutes insinuations that members of the House are ‘errand boys’ of the executive arm of government, amongst others. Excerpts:
What do you have to tell the people of Taraba State?
First of all, I want to thank the Almighty God for the opportunity given to me to serve at that capacity. What I have for the good people of Taraba State is that I’m a peace lover and I want to call on them to embrace peace and we are going to make laws that have direct bearing on the people of Taraba. We are going to make laws that will foster development of people of the state. So, I want to call on all the people of Taraba to as a matter of fact love one another for the development of the state.
How optimistic are you that the present leadership of the House will bring to rest the wrangling in the State Assembly?
I want to assure that the new leadership is made up of people of high integrity; they are experienced people and will do our best to ensure that we carry everybody along.
Being a first timer and saddled with this kind of responsibility, how effective do you think you would be in actualising the aspirations of the members?
Well, I have been in the House of Assembly for two years now, so the issue of first timer should not be overemphasised. It’s not constitutional, if you are elected a member, you can be a Speaker provided the other members you are working with agree, you can be elected. That was what exactly happened.
Did you in your wildest imagination ever think of becoming a Speaker of the House?
Well, as a believer and a Christian, I believe in destiny. When I was elected as a member of the House, I knew the responsibility that God gave me so for that, I am fully aware that anything can happen and God has made it possible in my life to become a Speaker.
What effort are you going to make to erase the belief that members of the state Assembly are errand boys of the executive arm of government?
Honestly, I am hearing this for the first time and with the calibre of people we have, nobody would make mistake of making such statement because, if you take a look at it, all the members are experienced people; they have been in the civil service, they are into business and I believe what we are doing here is one of the best. I think anybody that has this kind of idea is a making a wrong insinuation.
One of the critical allegations made against the former Speaker bordered on the monthly finance analysis of the House, how do you intend to handle such issues?
We have a Standing Rule which guides the business of the House, so it is expected that on monthly basis, the leadership should meet and decide on what we have. I want to assure that my leadership will go strictly by the Standing Rule.
It is being insinuated that your coming on board was sponsored by some group of individuals to facilitate the confirmation of the acting governor as the substantive governor of Taraba State, how would you react to this?
This is not true because as the governor, he is doing virtually everything that a governor should do. With the calibre of people we have around, I want to tell you that we have every reason to decide for ourselves, not that somebody would be outside and dictate to us or tell us what to do. What we did in the House was solely the way we wanted it to be. That was exactly what happened.
What would be the focus of this present leadership of the House?
Actually, what we do in the House of Assembly is to make laws that have direct bearing on the people of the state so our focus definitely will be on that aspect, to make laws that are relevant and have direct bearing on people of Taraba State.
From an accountant to a lawmaker, how have you been able to balance the gap?
Honestly, it is not easy but I want to tell you I’m part of the game. I have been into the system and we have run the system for quite sometimes. I have been moving with politicians for sometimes before now that has given me a good ground.
What mechanism do you intend to put in place to ensure a united House of Assembly?
Transparency, I am going to operate an open door policy and that will help in bringing the House together. That is what we are lacking.
What will be the relationship of the House with the executive arm of government?
The relationship between the House of Assembly and the executive is that, we legislate, we move together and co-operate to make things work the way it is expected. So I think we will continue to do that.
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