Kalu Tasks Lawmakers On Good Governance

By Oduyemi Odumade, Edited By Grace Namiji

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu says the parliament must tailor all its legislative interventions towards meeting the needs of Nigerians through good governance.

According to him, it is incumbent on the Parliament to discern the needs of the people and address them.

The Deputy Speaker who stated this while delivering a goodwill message titled “Planning with Facts and Evidence” at a 2-Day retreat for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives in Ikot-Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State urged parliamentarians to realize that their roles extend beyond the hallowed chamber and encompasses the welfare of the Nigerian people.

“This data-driven approach not only reflects the principles of good governance but also ensures that our legislative actions are tailored to the evolving needs of our people”, he said.

He stressed that in the relentless pursuit of a more perfect Nigerian union, the parliament must elevate the importance of data in its decision-making processes and must align with the principles of participatory democracy, which champions public engagement in all legislative endeavors.

Kalu said the needs and aspirations of the people must be incorporated when sculpting the national budgets by the parliament rather than leaving such a critical task to the discretion of the heads of MDAs who may not always prioritize the greater good due to ignorance of facts and data from the people.

He believed that the retreat serves as the bedrock for harvesting needs analysis results directly from the voices and experiences of the people, acknowledging that the raw materials for legislative work should emanate from the unbiased, data-driven input of the people they represent.