Azogor Ideba|11 June 2016|6:57am
Rt. Hon John Gaul Lebo comes across ordinarily as a perfect gentleman. But behind this gentility is an aggressive goal-getter, ingenious thinker and phenomenally focused being whose qualities are predominantly unique to him alone. Put succinctly, he is a rare breed.
It is this aggression combined with infrequent individuality that he has used to energetically drive the affairs of the 8th Cross River Assembly to a leading state Legislature in the country in the past 365 days as Speaker of the House of Assembly.
Having cut his teeth professionally as an egghead far away in Abuja where he plied his trade as a lawyer reliably and admirably, he like a gold fish with no place to hide, shone into limelight, attracting many eyes who could not resist his exceptional uniqueness and savvy of delivery in the temple of justice.
He sooner became an object in the radar of many Nigerians who saw him as a force to reckon with given his vast grab of knowledge far beyond the borders of his profession. John Gaul Lebo’s versatilities criss-crosses time and space, history and future; he represents a gritty generation and firmly believes that ability is nothing without opportunity and so, with this engraved in his mind, he over the years built himself into a compact character, an intellectual brand with a universal stamp of acceptability. John proved himself far beyond doubts, with the many opportunities that came his way both as a lawyer and a corporate individual.
In 2011, when he decided to venture into politics, his antecedents, not political, to a great extent helped to pave way for him to be elected to represent Abi State Constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly. From 2011 to 2015, Hon John Gaul Lebo (A product of Imoke’s political experiment) was able to distinguish himself as a legislator. As a result, he earned re-elected into the Assembly in March, 2015 for another term.
His outstanding performance in the 7th Assembly became the elixir to his being elected as the Speaker of the 8th Cross River State Assembly on the 11th of June, 2015.
Since then, change is synonymous with operations of the House and Honourable members as well as staff have adjusted to this obvious change with a mind-set akin to that of the Speaker who had indicated from the inception of his leadership that the 8th Legislative Assembly will be different from previous ones.
Apparently, the difference began to manifest within the short period of the existence as the 8th Assembly as it started recording landmark achievements which are unprecedented in the legislative annals of the State and even Nigeria.
Within the space of 365 days, the Assembly had enacted 9 laws that have changed the face of governance in the state while impacting on its collective fortune and the livelihood of the people. The Infrastructure Fund Law, Infrastructure Safety & Regulatory Agency Law; the Kidnapping Prohibition Law, Waterfront Infrastructure Management Agency Law, Corporate Social Responsibility Domestication Law as well as the Wharf Landing fee Charges Law, Cross River State Scrap Materials Regulatory Law will ensure that more revenue which will be judiciously applied, accrue to the state; more infrastructures will be developed and effectively managed, and the state will become safer for tourism to flourish and the people better secured.
Other laws like the Tax Exemption Law will leave more money in the pockets of low income earners whether in the Public or Private sector, the Social Housing Scheme Law will ensure that more Cross River citizens own houses. The Administration of Criminal Justice System Law which has become the most important piece of legislation ever considered by the 8th Assembly deals with quick access to justice, fast tracking of criminal cases, gives the magistrates more powers to arraign accused person who are held beyond the constitutional period and grant quick bail for non-indictable offences. It also creates a collaborative platform between the police and the judiciary to promote fair hearing and protection of human rights and provides for special judiciary reserve fund to manage the administration of justice in the state.
Interestingly, the Law provides for an online e-judiciary platform for the public.
The respective laws so far created by the Cross River State House of Assembly are human centred. They all aim at enforcing good governance in the state and offering the people a new and better lease of life. These Laws address issues of poverty, unemployment, economic regression, Infrastructural deficit, insecurity, injustice, inefficient service delivery and Fiscal imprudence.
The Rt. Hon John Gaul Lebo, championing many laudable reforms in the House brought his legislative acumen and incorruptible zeal to bear in the affairs of the Assembly like never experienced with previous Assemblies.
The velocity at which the present Assembly under the leadership of John Gaul Lebo is operating is none the less distinctive, dynamic and totally a departure from the usual.
Upon inauguration, unexpectedly, the Speaker Rt. Hon John Gaul Lebo declared that press men be granted unrestricted access to cover the activities of the House. Subsequently, the Media gallery at the Chamber was enlarged to accommodate more Journalists in view of influx as a result of the liberalism of the Speaker.
He had reasoned that the Assembly needed to not only to be seen but to also be heard by the general public; the activities of the Assembly and individual members could no longer be restricted to the chamber and the ears of a privileged few; the constituents needed to know, monitor and assess the performance or activities of their representatives and more so, he saw it as an obligation to let Cross River people and indeed Nigerians know about the affairs of the Assembly. The Media became a key channel to convey and facilitate the expectations of the people.
Again, the Speaker instituted a Monthly Press Briefing coordinated by the House Committee Chairman on Information & Communication Technology Hon Nelson E. Ofem. The rationale for the monthly briefing is to enable the Speaker and Members retrospectively and prospectively highlight the activities of the House and the respective Committees, challenges and expectations to journalists who will in turn inform the general public of same.
For the ease of effectively reporting the House of Assembly, the Speaker went ahead to establish the Assembly’s Press Centre, to be furnished, and equipped with Information, Communication and Technology gadgets including internet access.
Today, the relationship between the 8th Cross River State Legislature and the media is robust, cordial and very courteous. Confidence has since been restored.
Conscious that they hold the peoples’ mandate as representatives of the 25 State Constituencies of Cross River State, the Assembly in its wisdom thought that since the people were the reason for their membership of the legislature, it was mandatory to carry them along in the activities of the House.
This concord of thoughts necessitated the commissioning of the Citizens Legislative Agency Project (CLAP) 2015-2019, by the Speaker. CLAP is geared at making the people the centre of legislation and partners in the business of the legislature.
Highlight of the CLAP as unveiled by Hon Hilary Bisong, indicated that Members of the Legislature are representatives of the people, by a natural synergy that is created by the constitution. The legislature and the people therefore, are supposed to be partners in the process of law Making. They should see laws enacted by the Assembly as ‘our laws’ instead of ‘their laws’. This collective possession can only happen if the people are involved in the process of law making.
The people’s involvement enhances transparency and openness and this is the hallmark of Good Governance, the CLAP articulates.
The Civil Society Organisations found their rightful bearing in affairs of the Assembly given the period under review owing to the forthrightness of the Speaker who had vowed that transparency must be a key feature of the Assembly. Thus, CSOs, Organised Private Sector and other public organisations have become critical partners in the outcomes of the affairs of the Assembly due to regular interface and contact engagement with the Speaker and the respective House Committees. This practice hitherto was not the case especially with regards to frequency. An open door reception has been established, courtesy of Mr Speaker. This gesture has seen influx in human traffic and in the activities of the 8th Assembly.
Mr Speaker in consultation with members felt that a support structure or incubator that will help bring about a superlative legislative ‘pattern’ in the country and beyond was necessary.
The need for the Cross River State Legislative Institute (CROSLI) became expedient to serve as a vehicle that will be used to shape this ‘pattern’ into a sustainable legislative culture while producing competent managers to drive an instituted wholesome legislative system in the state. The vision of the Institute is to build a robust Legislative Institution with a sustainable culture for Cross River.
Then, the Democracy Club and the Youth Parliament was inaugurated by the Speaker in a bid to mentor young democrats for the future as well as build future liable legislators for the state through the Youth Parliament.
The Students/Youth House Internship programme where every member adopts a student or youth to understudy individual members with a view to learning and drawing inspiration from them is another laudable initiative of the Honourable Speaker; the Calabar Readers’ Club aimed at revitalising the reading culture of the youth is another testimony to the Speaker’s passion for youth development.
With this quadruple youth Initiatives, the Speaker sensed that building a generation of youths to take over from the present crop of legislators would safeguard the culture of responsible and responsive Legislature being established in the state by the 8th Legislature. More so, the deficit in quality leadership and good leaders would be addressed. The Speaker considered that grooming future generation of youths for continuity and sustainability remains a prerequisite.
Not restricted to law making and providing leadership in the House, Rt. Hon John Lebo through the constitutionality of his office has been to successfully intervene and amicably resolve many industrial conflicts in the state, thereby, helping to stabilise the government of the day. These include the NUT/CRSUBEB fracas, Judicial Staff strike, Commercial Transporters/Regulators scuffle, General Electric/Esuk Utan/Ikot Ansa discrepancy; and a myriad of inter and intra-governmental crisis within one year in office.
In one year, the Speaker of the Cross River House Assembly Rt. Hon John Gaul Lebo, so far has practically demonstrated a rare savvy in his obligations and duties. Even in the body of Speakers of State Assemblies in the country, Cross River Speaker stands tall and eminently distinguished. This recognition has come with it additional responsibilities from the National Body of State Assemblies Speakers, in line with the maxim: “the reward for hard work is more work”.
These achievements in just one year are uphill and therefore, did not come without knocks, hues and cries. Severally, Rt. Hon John Gaul Lebo has been accused of being tied to the Governor’s apron strings. He was publicly lashed and accused in some quarters of being the governor’s brother, Dr Frank Ayade’s bootlicker, and was literarily nailed to the cross in every accusations without fair hearing. He was called all sorts of names and given many derogatory pseudonyms. It was argued that as the leader of a critical arm of government, he ought to maintain a reasonable distance from the governor to avoid being compromised and for the purpose of independence. But the question is: is any arm of government in Nigeria truly or fully independent? Perhaps in theory and not in practice.
The Speaker and members have been serially accused of being rubber stamp of the Executive. In fact Rt. Hon John Gaul Lebo was accused of compromising the House of Assembly for personal gains because of his relationship with the Executive which stemmed from his belief that for the government to succeed, the arms of government particularly the Executive and Legislature must closely collaborate essentially to avoid friction or reduce conflicts that could impede good governance. Even though both arms occasionally disagree on certain issues which are not amplified or allowed to degenerate into full blown crisis, the Assembly to great extent still cannot be said to be an appendage of the Executive or the rubber stamp of governor of the state, neither is the Speaker nor the Assembly a lame duck.
He was vocally criticised and lampooned in the Media for defending the government’s policies with many claiming that it was outside his jurisdiction to speak in defence of the Governor or the Executive arm. To the contrary, the Speaker views governance as a common responsibility of the 3 arms, thus if an arm fails the entire tripod fails. So, the 3 arms must work in synergy and support one another to succeed as a government. He saw nothing wrong in defending a policy or government that he is actively a key part of.
It is said that a man’s biggest enemy comes from his household. This postulation manifested itself when the media again became awash with the purported plan in January this year to impeach the Speaker on baseless, unfounded and wild allegations. This move was not to be, because alas, it was apparent to discerning public that the hatchers of this plan, in the cause of carrying out their nocturnal agenda, stood truth itself on its head. It was a case of giving a dog a bad name just to hang it. Hon John Gaul in the light of the foregoing was demonised to justify the sinister motive of his purported antagonists. Many followers of activities at the Cross River House of Assembly saw the development as more of a personal vendetta than claims put forward by his traducers.
Criticisms is a critical agent of change when it is constructive, the Speaker once said admitting that he is not a perfect being because he is only human and does not have a monopoly of knowledge. He sees himself as a product of grace and providence and quick to admit he must have made mistakes and also must have ruffled some feathers unknowingly in the cause of his one year in office. Therefore, he is not immune to criticism which according to him is correctional and a part and parcel of meaningful accomplishment even though some may come as distractions and direct attack on his person. In one of his public speeches, he once retorted: ”but, this is one of the many burdens of leadership and should never be viewed from the prism of antagonism however the form or nature, as a public servant. One must at all times be open to constant public scrutiny and must be ready to make painful personal sacrifices for the common good of all”.
This further explains why the Speaker given his tight schedules, still finds space to engage the people through the respective broadcast media, giving clarification and adept explanation on thorny or controversial public issues or policy of the government on regular basis. Even at inter-personal level, he is often found engaging citizens on the social media platforms. He believes that the people who are basically, the reason why government exist should not be left in doubt about the activities of government. It is the responsibility of government to explain to the people whenever the need arises.
All the achievements and result-oriented innovations would not have been possible without the broadmindedness, determination, commitment and the commensurate capacity of Mr Speaker, the goal-oriented and very supportive members and the entire members of Staff of the Cross River State House of Assembly headed by the very indefatigable clerk of the House; also the constituents and indeed the good people of Cross River whose support for the Speaker have been a phenomenal inspiration. The Executive, the Judiciary and everybody shares in the success story so far.
In his inaugural Speech, Rt. Hon Lebo said, ”we owe our personal history an explanation of what we have done with the opportunity and time offered us to serve. ”I want my future History, providence and mankind to remember the 8th Assembly as been proactive, innovative, conscious and accountable to its constituents”.
There is no denying the fact that the Speaker is living his words this far, and they speak in volume.
Azogor Ideba
Is the Chief Press Secretary to the Honourable Speaker, 8th CRSHA