My approach to this week’s commentary will adopt a different pattern. Against my normal procedure, I will take a double barrel approach to cover up the views I wish to express. While I tried to revisit the 2013 proposed budget of the Imo State Government which was presented to the members of the State Assembly by Governor Rochas Okorocha for passage into law, reactions trailing my last week topic “One Okoro’s Democracy By Military Tank (The Untold Story of Imo 2011 Election)” kept pouring on. Because of time schedule and the attention the issues deserve, my approach will change this week.
While I will reflect on the latest budget presentation which I dubbed the House of Assembly “Cinema show in the first part, the divergent views that characterized my review of Dr Ethelbert Okere’s book will conclude the work.
I can’t remember the last time I watched a public cinema. In those days when video was a luxury and cannot be found in the homes of many, cinema was the ultimate. Except for children of bourgeoisies in the society, attending public viewing centres to watch to watch films and shows was the past time games or favourites of most people especially the young ones. I will also remember that one of the happiest moments I had during my days in the seminary as a secondary school student was the days films were showed. I relished such moments because it was a relieve from the garrison structure of the seminary where academic and religious dominate proceeding with little or no chance for recreation. InLagos, God Dey Cinema onWilmer Road, Olodi Apapa was a favourite spot on Sundays. It was with nostalgia of cinema shows that I monitored last Monday’s budget presentation on the floor of the Imo State House of Assembly Chamber. In the history of the state legislature, Monday, December 3, 2012, witnessed and their chapter in budget presentation with the Okorocha’s “Cinema Show”. Budget presentation is a constitutional matter whereby the Governor presents his yearly budget to the State Assembly for approval. In undertaken the exercise, Governor Okorocha used the opportunity to recap his achievements and since he took oath of office.
There is nothing wrong in the state Governor showcasing his stewardship especially the areas he served high and intimating the public is not an anathema. However, where this write up intends to dwell on the undue conversion of a budget presentation to a “Cinema Show”. Okorocha may not receive knocks for the derail. Rather the distinguished honourable members of the House who have been totally overwhelmed by the Governor’s hypnosis. Instead of asking the Governor to arrange a “State of the Imo address” where the generality of the people will be gathered to appreciate the monumental projects and reared breaking achievements, he claimed to have bequeathed Imo so far, the state lawmakers allowed the hallowed chambers to be desecrated. Had it been it was not a normal session and a gathering of the members for the purposes of reviewing government’s programs, the excuse for the cinema show would have been granted. But it was a special session with all appurtenances of House Order, Rules and Regulations.
Ominous signs that unusual developments would characterize this year’s budget presentation emerged with a legislative abad acrubra. According to a report by our correspondent, the clerk of the House moved a motion to usher in the Governor. The report has it that it was the statutory function of the majority leader and not the clerk to signal Okorocha’s entry. With that false step, the legislature lost control and succumb to oppressive tendencies of the executive arm of government.
The video show was also an indirect indictment on the stale lawmakers as they may have negated their constitutional roles of undertaken oversight functions and checking the activities of the executive which are in contrast to state laws. If the lawmakers were at breast with operations of government, it would have been wasteful showing them the cinema of Governor Okorocha achievements. Except the State lawmakers have lost touch with the grassroots who they represent as their voices in the State Assembly, or no longer residents of the state, since they won their elections, the chamber cinema show as unnecessary. As a citizen of the state resident in Owerri, scenes from the “cinema show” are not unknown to me as I see and feel them daily. Maybe, members of the House are “visiting lawmakers” who merely throng the chamber for “Sitting Allowance”.
I am aware there are not less that 26 standing Committees of the House chaired by each member and another powerful committee, the Joint Committee on State/Local Government Projects with one of my bosses Bro Stan Dara (KSM) in charge. If the standing committees and the committee of Bro Dara were operational, what would prompt Okorocha to turn the chamber to a viewing centre and a plenary session of a House to movie session? Well, I was duly informed that anything can happen in a “Rescue Government”. Things can turn upside down without those concerned raising eyebrows. I will also challenge those who may think otherwise to not only disclose any state that experienced this “cinema show” during their budget presentation. Somebody said it is the new Imo formula. Yes, it is Imo formula indeed. But the lawmakers should watch it. What is the Hon Kingdley Dimaku House Committee on project monitoring, Amuka Committee on Workds, Ugonna Ozuruigbo (OZB) Committee on Public utilities and other relevant committees during/before the Governor came with recorded video machine to intimate them his activities? I guess they are not “Zombie apostle” popularized by late Afrobeat kingpin, Fela Anikulapo Kuti in one of his Pan African music titles.
Apart from the “Cinema show” that beclouded the budget presentation, there were noticeable flaws in the content of the 2013 budget tagged “Rescue Budget 2012”. The Governor in the presentation carefully avoided the amount stipulated for each of the projects earmarked for 2013. in page 13 of the budget speech, the Governor stated that “Our legacy projects likeImoTowersof 1,000 Housing Units targeted a high network individual and our citizens in the Diaspera,
