MANY SENATORS, REPS LACK FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY OFFICES
Some Use Homes, Shops as Constituency Offices It Shows Lack of Accountability – Rafsanjani Most Lawmakers Have Functional Constituency Offices – Namdas
Members of the National Assembly and those in State Houses of Assembly are statutorily required to establish functional constituency offices in their respective constituencies where they are expected to have regular interactive engagements with those they are representing.
But in spite of the huge budgetary allocations they get annually, running into billions of naira, many of them have failed to comply with this requirement.
Investigations by Daily Trust on Sunday reveal that while some have put in place structures that are hardly patronized, others have converted their homes, rented shops and other places for use as constituency offices.
What passes as the constituency office of Nigeria’s deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, is located at the Ninth Mile Corner in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State. Ekweremadu (PDP), a high ranking senator represents Enugu West Senatorial zone in the National Assembly but his constituency office leaves much to be desired.
Our correspondent made several visits to the place to ascertain its functionality but met it padlocked, an indication that the place is hardly patronized. It was gathered that even during the campaign for 2015 general elections, Senator Ekweremadu did not spare time to visit his constituency office when his campaign train went to Udi Local Government area.
But one of Ekweremadu’s media aides who spoke on phone said: “We have full functional constituency office there but if you go there around this time (3.30pm), you may not see anybody there. The best time is for you to go in the morning.”
A similar scenario was found at the constituency office of Senator Gil Nnaji, located on the second floor of a three-storey building opposite the Union Bank Plc at Ogui Road within Enugu metropolis. Nnaji, who represents Enugu East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, is chairman, Senate committee on communication.
For Rep Toby Okechukwu who represents Aninri,Awgu and Oji-River federal constituency what goes as his constituency office is a rented building at Pat-Bensons Green Valley Suites, Awgu, in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State. Gombe In Gombe State, it was discovered that seven out of the nine lawmakers representing the state at the National Assembly, use rented shops as their constituency offices.
Our checks revealed that out of the nine lawmakers representing the 11 LGAs of Gombe State at both the Senate and the House of Representatives, only the representative from Balanga-Billiri and Kaltungo-Shomgom federal constituencies, Alhaji Ali Isa JC and Hajiya Fatima Binta Bello, respectively, have a dedicated building as constituency office.
The office is being managed by her legislative aides, who are coordinating many of her empowerment programmes and receiving complaints from her constituents.
The rest of the lawmakers are said to rent shops as constituency offices while others use school premises and football fields to address their constituents whenever they visit. Plateau In Plateau State, all federal lawmakers comprising three senators and six representatives have offices in their constituencies, but there is none that is functional as inquiries have shown that they conduct constituency affairs, including meetings with stakeholders and supporters in their residences or rented public structures, including hotels.
For instance, Edward Pwajok (PDP, Jos-South/Jos-East) who is in the House of Representatives doing his first term, has his constituency office just furnished, although there is no signpost on the massive structure yet to indicate what the building is meant for.
A constituency aide, Blessing Davou Gyang told Daily Trust on Sunday on phone that the lawmaker had all the while operated in a rented office apartment, until he developed a plot recently in the Bukuru area of Jos-South for that purpose.
Similarly, former Plateau Governor, Jonah Jang now a senator representing Plateau North has a massive structure in his Du community, for his constituency comprising five local government areas, but he sources said he hosts his constituents in his palatial country home within the same location.
“Sometimes he prefers to receive constituents at the state PDP headquarters in Jos,” an associate who sought identity protection told this reporter.
But the senator’s media aide, Mr. Clinton Garba confirmed that his boss has a constituency office with two staff members appointed to work there, and insisted that the office is fully functional.
Senators Jerry Useni of Plateau-South, and Joshua Dariye of Plateau-Central, all have offices in their constituencies, although inquiries show constituents don’t go there because they are unsure of being attended to if they leave written requests. Taraba In the same vein all the three senators from Taraba state have constituency offices that are dormant, while only one out of eight members of the House of Reps have offices.
While Senator Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf (APC) representing Taraba central senatorial zone has an office located at Bali, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha (PDP) representing Taraba south senatorial zone and Senator Sani Danladi Abubakar of PDP representing Taraba North senatorial zone have their constituency offices in Jalingo and Wukari, respectively. But it was unclear whether the offices are serving the intended purposes.
But Senator Bwacha told our correspondent on telephone that his office had been in existence for over five years now and served as a contact point where issues relating to zone were discussed and forwarded to him for action.
Also, the coordinator of Senator Sani Abubakar Danladi constituency office located at Barde way in Jalingo, the headquarters of the Taraba North senatorial zone, Alhaji Abdulsalam Bunu Bashir, said the office was established last year to coordinate the activities of the senator in the zone and also serve as contact office. Anambra Anambra State has two senators, Andy Ubah and Stella Oduah, representing Anambra South and Anambra North constituencies, respectively. The third constituency, Anambra Central, is still vacant, following the removal of Senator Uche Egwunife.
Senator Stella Oduah has her constituency office located in Akili Ogbaru Local Government of the state, while Andy Uba has his at Uga, Ekwulobia, Aguata Local Government.
But checks by Daily Trust on Sunday show that the offices are only functional during electioneering campaign period when series of activities take place, including distribution of constituency materials.
Our correspondent learnt that the case is the same with the eleven representatives from the state who have different structures as constituency offices that only come alive during electioneering campaigns. Jigawa In Jigawa State only one out of the three senators has an office in his senatorial district while only four out of the 11 members of the House of Representatives have offices in their constituencies.
Senator Mohammed Sabo Nakudu, representing Jigawa Central is the only senator that has an office in Dutse, the state capital
which is part of his senatorial district while the senators representing North-West and NorthEast, Abdullahi Ojo and Ubale Shitu are yet to have any in each of their senatorial districts.
The six members of the House of Representatives without constituency offices are: Mohammed Adamu Fagen Gawo, representing Babura/Garki federal constituency, Abubakar Hassan Fulata, representing Guri/Kirikassama/Birniwa federal constituency, Yuguda Hassan Kila, representing Gwaram federal constituency, Usman Ibrahim Auyo, representing Hadeja/ Auyo/Kafin Hausa federal constituency, Rabi’u Garba, representing Kaugama/ Mallam Madori federal constituency and Mohammed Gousu Doyi, representing Ringim/Taura federal constituency.
An aide to one of the lawmakers who spoke on the condition of anonymity confided in Daily Trust on Sunday that most of the members of the National Assembly are not residing in the state, as they all reside in Kano from where they occasionally arrange meetings with their constituents through contact groups. Benue The three senators representing their various districts in Benue State were all returned after winning the March 28 elections on different political parties’ platform.
Our findings showed that while the former senate president Senator David Mark and Senator Barnabas Gemade have functional offices in Otukpo and Kastina Ala, respectively, Senator George Akume has no visible constituency office anywhere in his domain or even at Makurdi, his constituency headquarters.
Senator Gemade who defected from the PDP to the ruling APC represents Benue North East for a second term while his counterpart of Benue North West, former minority leader, Senator George Akume (APC) secured a third tenure. Former Senate President, David Mark (PDP) got a record breaking fifth return to the senate to representf Benue South.
But insiders said the Mark’s office is manned by some liaison officers located along Otukpo federal road only comes alive when members of the constituents are to embark on campaigns, rallies or hold meetings while briefings are usually carried out at either at his personal residence, his Golf Course or sometimes at the Ochi Idoma’s palace.
Senator Gemade on his part holds constituency briefings at his house in Makurdi as well as his country home in Konshisha.
Senator Akume was said to have in 2011 converted his constituency office along Iyorchia Ayu, near Wurukum junction to Abubakar Atiku Presidential campaign office and in 2015 general election, the same edifice was used as the Buhari/Osinbajo campaign and still remains in that state at the time of this report.
Meanwhile, in the absence of functional constituency offices, most of the 11 reps from the state either address their constituents either in hotels or their private homes whenever they visit. Edo The Senators and the House of Representative members representing various constituencies in the all have converted their 2015 election campaign offices into constituency offices in their areas but their functionality remains in doubt.
It was gathered that the lawmakers after winning election converted their campaign offices to constituency offices even as some of the constituents said the offices are only utilized whenever lawmakers embark on empowerment programmes.
One of the constituents in Edo South who simply identified himself as Isaac said lawmakers hardly organize town hall meetings to know what the constituents want so that they present it at the floor of the National Assembly
“The lawmakers are all the same. Some were given constituency funds for constituency project in the past but the money went into private pockets without carrying out such projects,” another source said. Imo Imo State has three senators and 10 federal representatives at the two chambers of the National Assembly.
But investigation carried out showed that many of the lawmakers do not have operational and effective constituency offices in their different constituencies. They instead prefer to go to open fields, hotels, church premises for their constituency briefings
Investigation revealed that none of the three senators from Imo State has functional constituency office while only a few among the 10 federal representatives from the State have functional constituency offices. Kogi Kogi State has three senators and six members of House of Representatives both chambers of the National Assembly. The senators include Senator Dino Melaye of the APC representing Kogi West Senatorial district, Senator Mohammed Ogembe of the PDP representing Kogi Central senatorial district and Senator Isaac Alfa of the PDP representing Kogi East senatorial district.
It was learnt that Senator Dino usually makes use of the APC secretariat which he built for the party in Kabba as temporary point of meeting with his constituents whenever he is around as his constituency office is currently under construction along the Kabba-Okene express way in Kabba town.
Senator Mohammed Ogembe, on his part, has a constituency office located in Adogo, headquarters of Ajaokuta Local Government area. The office which looked small and located within a business premises, has the national and the PDP flags in the front but no signboard to indicate it is a constituency office of the senator.
The senator representing Kogi East senatorial district, Senator Isaac Alfa is yet to have a functional constituency office and uses his private home as meeting point with his constituents whenever he comes visiting.
However, amongst the nine members of the House of Representatives from the state, only the member representing Ajaokuta federal constituency, Lawal Mohammed Idris, is yet to have a constituency office in his area. Constituents who spoke to Daily Trust on Sunday complained that the lawmaker has abandoned them since he won his election. Nasarawa Only one out of three senators and one out of five House of Representatives members have functional constituency offices in Nasarawa State, checks have revealed.
Senator Philip Aruwa Gyunka, representing Nasarawa North Senatorial zone has his constituency office located at Akwanga-Jos Road while the senator representing Nasarawa West, Abdullahi Adamu, uses his country home in Keffi as constituency office.
His counterpart of Nasarawa South, Suleiman Adokwe, has what can be described as a nonfunctional office located at remote area behind the Taal Model School along Jos road in Lafia the state capital. Several visits by our correspondent found the place securely padlocked. Lagos Only two Senators currently on their second terms at the National Assembly, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and Senator Gbenga Ashafa are said to have constituency offices. While Senator Tinubu, who represents Lagos Central Senatorial District and has her constituency office located at 293 Herbert Macauley Street, Yaba, Lagos, Senator Ashafa has his constituency office at CMD Road, Ikosi-Ketu, Lagos.
Our correspondent who paid visits to these constituency offices observed that although they were not as busy as they were in the build up to the 2015 general election, there are a number of staff and loyalists to the Senators who still throng the offices on daily basis.
For Senator Ashafa, aside the major senatorial district office located at Ikosi-Ketu, there are other offices in Ibeju Lekki and Epe. Senator Tinubu and Ashafa are said to host town hall meetings with her constituents.
However, it was not clear whether the House of Representative members from the state have functional constituency offices. Kaduna In Kaduna, the three senators, Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi, Shehu Sani and Danjuma La’ah have functional constituency offices in the headquarters of their senatorial zones while only a few of the 14 House of Representatives members have functional constituency offices in their respective constituencies.
Senator Hunkuyi’s office is located at MTD Road in Zaria while that of Sani is located at Stadium Round about in Kaduna. That of Laah is in Kafanchan.
Findings show that Barrister Muhammad
Musa representing Soba constituency does not have an office in Soba Local Government Area just as Simon Arado, representing Kauru constituency also does not have an office in the local.
Investigation shows that even though Adams Jagaba representing Kachia/Kagarko constituency has an office located on Keffi road in Gumel town of Kachia Local Government Area, there’s hardly much going on there.
House of Representatives member representing Kaduna South Rufai Chancangi has no constituency office. Some of his constituents say his residence along Dendo road serves as his office each time he returns from Abuja.
Member representing Chikun/ Kajuru Liman Yakubu Barde is also said not to have an official constituency office. Sometimes people meet him in his house to discuss issues affecting the constituency.
Abbas Tajudeen who represents Zaria federal constituency on the other hand has a constituency office along Zaria-Wusasa raid by the Orphanage home that is said to be partially functional.
Our correspondents could, however, not confirm those of Gideon Lukas Gwani who represents Kaura constituency and Lawan Muhammad Rabi’u of Lere federal constituency. Kwara There are mixed feelings over the status of constituency offices of the National Assembly members even as most of them are accused of not living up to the task expected of them as their representatives.
Some have questioned the justification of constituency allowances being doled out to these representatives without impact on the people who voted them. Our findings show that some of these constituency offices are only used as campaign offices by the senators and house of reps members during the elections.
While the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki- Senator representing Kwara central is said to be the only one with the most active constituency office, that of Rafiu Ibrahim representing Kwara south had his office under lock and key all the times our correspondent visited the place. On the other hand Shaba Lafiagi, the Senator from Kwara north, many could not say if he has an active constituency office.
Out of the six House of Representative members from Kwara State, our correspondent could only locate three constituency offices belonging to Danladi Olayoonu representing Offa/Oyun, Amuda Kannike -Ilorin East and South federal constituency and that of Razak Atunwa representing Asa and Ilorin West federal constituency.
Others are Funke Adedoyin representing Ifelodun, Ekiti and Okeero federal constituency, Arman Pategi- Edu, Patigi federal constituency and Zakari Mohammedbaruten/Kaiama federal constituency.
The constituency offices of Danladi olayoonu representing Offa/oyun and Razak Atunwa representing Asa and Ilorin West federal constituency have been taken over by cobwebs. A visit to both offices indicates that they were not patronized in the last six months. Ogun In Ogun State, the Senator representing Ogun Central, Lanre Tejuoso has his constituency office located along Kuto road, Isabo few meters away from the State Judiciary complex but it was unclear if it is being put to use.
Efforts to get a man, who identified himself as Segun Daniel-Shengenne, Special Assistant to the Senator answer to comment on the functionality of the office were futile, as he demanded for an official letter from Daily Trust office before he could speak.
The situation was, however, different at the constituency office of the House of Representatives member representing Abeokuta North, Odeda and Obafemi Owode federal constituency Hon. Mikail Kazim which is located along Ita Iyalode, Sokori road in Abeokuta North Local Government area.
However, attempts at locating the constituency office of the representative for Abeokuta South Federal Constituency, Segun Williams was futile as our correspondent was directed to a location along Maria Sokenu road, besides Seriki Adegbite Court at Ago Oba in Abeokuta South council area where there was no evidence of such a place. Kano In Kano, only a few members of the National Assembly from the state have offices in their respective constituencies, Daily Trust on Sunday findings, revealed.
Our correspondent gathered that even the few that have owned offices in their constituencies hardly visit the offices preferring to stay in hotels within the state metropolis whenever they visit Kano.
The few that have offices include Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso (Kano central), who converted his house along Luggard road as office while Senator Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya (Kano south) has his office located along Airport road.
The office of Alhaji Abdullahi Mahmud Gaya, the member representing Gaya/ Albasu/Ajingi federal constituency located in Gaya town was said to be vandalized by angry youths some months ago while Alhaji Abubakar Nuhu Danburan of Kano Municipal, has an office in Sharada quarters in the state metropolis.
Daily Trust on Sunday observed that the Senators and members of the House of Representatives have developed the habit of running away from their constituents since their election into the National Assembly in 2015.
A political analyst in the state, who wishes to remain anonymous said: “These people, like the previous sets of lawmakers are running away from their people, forgetting that people are the main component of politics. It is very important for them to have offices in their respective constituencies.” Niger Niger State has 10 members in the House of Representatives and three Senators representing the senatorial districts that make up the state, but only few have functional constituency offices.
Some of the offices, according to participants at the recent legislative constituent’s engagement in Minna, were like shops where traders display their wares and are often under lock and key. “They only open during electioneering campaigns or during political parties meetings”, Ahmed Sulieman from Magama said.
Although some of the lawmakers have structures as their constituency offices, the complaints among most of the constituents were that some of the offices hardly serve their purpose. They averred that most of the representatives were inaccessible and hardly visit the offices and neither pick nor return calls. Kebbi Kebbi State has three Senators and eight members of the House of Representatives in the National Assembly but none of them could be said to have functional constituency office in their areas.
A check by Daily Trust on Sunday shows that even though all the National Assembly members have constituency offices in their respective areas of the state, many of the offices are under lock and key. Where they are open to people of their constituency it is hard to get staff to attend to the people on matters affecting them or their areas.
When our correspondent visited the constituency office of Senator Adamu Aliero on one of his properties located on Emir Haruna road in Birnin Kebbi, the constituency office which as well serves as his skill acquisition programme office was dormant.
It was also observed that the constituency office of Hon. Umar Farouk Muslim the house member representing Birnin Kebbi, Kalgo and Bunza is always under lock. When our correspondent visited the office near the School of Nursing in Birnin Kebbi, there were evidences that it was not opened for some time.
It shows lack of accountability-Rafsanjani
Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, the Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), says every serious legislature is required to have a functional constituency office to serve as an avenue for communication with the electorate on issues of interest.
He said the failure of lawmakers is an indication of their lack of accountability to their constituents.
“Sadly this is not the case with our lawmakers even when there are financial provisions for such. Even where such offices exist they are either not functional or reduced to mere ghost places.
“They don’t consult. They don’t even go to their constituencies to discuss and harmonize issues of interest. You cannot represent your people without a functional office,” Rafsanjani said. But the spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas, insists that most of the federal lawmakers have functional constituency offices which serve as liaison offices where complaints from their constituents are received.
Namdas, however, said in spite of such offices, some constituents prefer to come to Abuja in the belief that if they leave their complaints at the offices they may not get to the lawmakers.
Namdas said the constituency offices are funded by individual lawmakers from their running cost, adding: “It is not the lawmaker that is supposed to personally manage the constituency office. He employs a liaison officer who receives complaints and conveys to the lawmakers.”
With additional reports from Andrew Agbese, Isa Saidu Christiana Alabi & Maryam Ahmadu-Suka (Kaduna), Ahmed Tahir Ajobe (Minna) Yusha’u Ibrahim (Kano), Hir Joseph (Jos), Tony Adibe, Enugu (Enugu), Itodo Daniel Sule (Lokoja), Nurudeen Oyewole (Lagos),Ismail Adebayo (Birnin Kebbi), Haruna Gimba Yaya, (Gombe), Romoke W. Ahmad (Ilorin), Aliyu M. Hamagam (Dutse), Hope Abah (Makurdi), Usman A Bello (Benin) Kehinde Akinyemi (Abeokuta), Johnkennedy Uzoma (Owerri), Magaji Isa (Jalingo) & Hassan Ibrahim, (Lafia)