By Deborah Coker
An APC chieftain in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta, Dr Eyiseifa Ebiowe, has called on the lawmaker representing Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency, Nicholas Mutu, to leave the constituency to its struggles.
Ebiowe stated this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Abuja on Sunday.
He said that the lawmaker, who has been representing the federal constituency since the return to democracy in 1999, should shelve the idea of seeking a re-election again in 2027.
Ebiowe alleged that the lawmaker, in spite of being the oldest member of the National Assembly, having served from 1999 till date, had never introduced nor sponsored any bill.
“He hardly ever makes contributions of any kind at plenary or even committee sessions, and generally just occupies space, to the annoyance of his colleagues.
“His official record in the Hansard of the House of Representatives remains at zero for bills and other recorded contributions in 27 years, going to 28.
“How do you have a man in the parliament for a full generation of nearly 30 years without ever introducing a bill, sponsoring a motion or making contributions to national discourse?
“Indolence alone cannot fully explain such catastrophic failure. A near absolute lack of capacity is what we have and witnessing in the poor performance of Nicholas Mutu in the house,” he said.
Ebiowe recalled that Mutu was for 10 years (2009 to 2019), by reasons of ranking or long stay, the House Chairman of the Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
“Those years are still regarded as seasons lost to the locusts, unremarkable and under-achieving and remains 10 years of sloth and upheaval in the commission,” he stated.
The Bomadi APC leader, who described the lawmaker as inactive in the House of Representatives, urged him to leave so as to open space for a “more worthy” representative for the federal constituency.
According to him, Mutu has offered no useful contributions to his people or to the federation.
“His lethargic performance in parliament is so bad that there is no record of even a single bill or motion sponsored by him for seven tenures in the house of representatives.
“He has not contributed anything significant to the realisation of the objectives and development agenda of the Ijaw nation in the parliament and it will be a waste of the people’s time and resources to continue to keep him there.
“Without presenting bills or representing no ideas or goals, he is just sitting idle and being of no use to the house and his constituency.
“He is a perfect example of the old order that must give way for Nigeria to embrace a new order that will be active and productive.
“Indolence cannot be a virtue in these times of urgent crave for development,” he said.
According to him, Mutu is supposed to have come from the same cultural environment that produced the likes of the accomplished John Pepper Clark, Prof. Alfred Opubor, Chief Edwin Clark and many other men and women of letters and fame who had made remarkable contributions to the development of Nigeria.
“Instead, right before our eyes, the job of the house of representatives has left Mutu behind.
“He watched askance while the job grew in scope, power and sophistication without him being able to grow with the job.
“It is no gainsaying that Mutu, after decades of idleness, is no longer fit for the job in a modern parliament, not because he’s old but because his understanding and preparation for modern parliamentary work is old.
“And the more troubling fact is that Mutu has ensconced himself in Abuja for so long that he has lost touch with the issues troubling his constituency and their need for justice and development in the evolving world.
“He has become too self-absorbed to bother about the people who sent him to parliament.
“Environmental degradation and the accompanying under-development resulting from oil drilling continues to impact the lives and environment of his constituency, but Mutu is far removed from his base and not confronted with these facts in Abuja.
“This makes him a parliamentarian living in the diaspora, with no true knowledge of the situation in his constituency,” the APC chieftain added.
(NAN)