When Sen. Baba Kaka Garbai was elected as Senator to
represent Borno Central Senatorial zone on the 31st of October 2015, little did
most sceptics realise that he will become a success story in the red chambers .
As one of the sceptics then, I must say that I am very elated and proud of what
Sen. Kaka has done since he was sworn into the Senate. As I write this piece, I
must stress that I am not swayed by political considerations rather by an
objective appraisal of the impact of the Borno Prince turned politician.
Sen. Kaka who happens to be the Chairman of the Senate
Committee on Rules and Business has not been a bench warmer in the Senate like
some others rather he has shown an enigmatic and proactive character in the
Senate which has earned him the respect of his colleagues and Nigerians as a whole. The attitude
displayed by Sen. Kaka who came to the Senate after the death of Sen. Mohammed
Zanna has given the likes of my humble self the belief that there are good
politicians who can make a difference out there.
My concern however is that despite the good efforts of Sen.
Kaka, there are persons out there who do not see what he is doing or who rather
have developed the attitude of selective amnesia. They only want to see the
perceived negative things their blurted view makes them see while looking at
the other way as to the very wonderful things Sen. Kaka is doing in the red
chambers.
I had the opportunity of replying one of the sworn critics of
Sen. Kaka and after my response to his clearly jaundiced opinion, he did his
research and later called to tell me he has all this while been having a wrong
view of the activities of Sen. Kaka. It is based on what he told me and what
others like him has said that has drawn me to the conclusion that the efforts
of the Borno prince may be highly under reported especially in the media.
I remain confused as to the reason why people will say they
are not aware that Sen. Kaka Garbai who is a first termer and a late one at
that has attracted a 200 million naira Gambory ward skill acquisition centre.
There is a similar one currently on going in Banki town of the state to provide
our army of unemployed youths in the state with skill acquisition skills that
will enablenm b them to fend for themselves. I also wonder why people fail to
see the five schools that were built in MMC and Jere as well as the 8 motorised
solar powered borehole that were provided in the 8 LGAs that make up his
senatorial zone. The solar powered boreholes are also expected to ease the
water needs of the IDPs in the Senatorial district as well as other persons
living there.
People of Borno state especially those from the Gamboru /
Ngala area are aware of how deplorable the Gamboru / Ngala road was and how it
became a conduit pipe of various administrations. The neglect that this road
received led to hardship and loss of lives. The good thing is that the
Senatorial district has a man of purpose in Sen. Kaka who worked hard to ensure
that there is a serious commitment on the part of the Nigerian Government and
the National assembly to complete the Dikwa/ Gamboru axis of the road. This
commitment was made by none other person than Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma.
It is also to the credit of Sen. Kaka that the Presidential
Initiative on The North East (PINE) which hitherto had concentrated most of its
projects and interventions on states like Adamawa, Gombe and Yobe states
despite Borno state being the worst affected by the insurgency that enveloped
the North East has been asked by the National assembly to allocate 50% 0f its
intervention to Borno state. What better representation could we have asked
for? Sen. Kaka has also not forgotten the youths of the Senatorial zone who
stood under the sun to elect him as their senator. He has used his office to
ensure that many youths get employment in various government offices. Being a
man that is concerned about the welfare of people at the IDPs and his support
for the anti corruption stance of the All Progressives Congress and President
Muhammadu Buhari, Sen. Kaka was the one that brought up the issue of corruption
levelled against former Secretary to the Federal Government Mr. Babachir David.
It was the motion that he brought on the floor of the Senate that led to
investigations against the former SGF and his subsequent removal from office.
Talking about bills and motions, Sen. Kaka in his two years
in office has passed a lot of motions and submitted bills to the Senate. Unlike
other people that can be said to be bench warmers, Sen. Kaka has not displayed
such. In fact it was his proactive representation and mobilisation of various
like minded persons that ensured that the headquarters of the North East
Development Commission is sited in Borno state. So far, he has sponsored 3
bills in the senate since he came in. This is even when some members who have
been in the Red Chambers for quite some time before him are even yet to sponsor
a single bill.
Like I earlier posited, I don't want to be the one that will
be standing in for Sen. Kaka Garbai but as an insider who works at the National
assembly and who is aware of the inner workings in both the red and green
chambers, I must stress that the likes of Sen. Kaka are few in both chambers of
the National assembly. It is also important that people learn to appreciate him
for what he is doing. By such, he will be doing more for the people and Borno
Central which has not had the best of representations will be better off for
it.
Comrade Abba Bukar Masta Contributed this piece from Abuja
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