The only reason why we have undertaken to painstakingly interrogate Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi’s achievement claims is simply because we would like to show Nigerians that TRANSPARENCY and ACCOUNTABILITY are something that can be demanded when the WILL to do so is there.
Today, we would continue our scrutiny by looking at his stewardship so far at the red chamber of the Nigerian National assembly. Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi was elected as Senator representing Imo East Senatorial Zone in February 2019 and inaugurated in June same year. Twenty-four months (24) down the line, we would bring the reader up to speed with why we asserted that the Uratta born Senator has grossly underperformed. In this report, we would continue to unveil his failures, with focus on his performance in the Senate.
Again, we would be using his ‘scorecard’ as a case study, and to make it easier for the reader to decipher and get a total grasp of, we would simply state his claims in brackets while explaining the true position of things.
Read Also: Senator Onyewuchi’s Colossal Failure From 2011 – 2021 (II)
MOTIONS:
(Urgent need to revive the Palm Oil Industry in Nigeria).
(Urgent need to end the menace of building collapse in Nigeria).
(Need for the Federal Government to respect the principles of Federal Character as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution).
(Motion on the exclusion of South East from the board of NCC)
Our Position: All the motions ended on Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi paper. Zero impact.
– The flagrant abuse of federal Character principles has continued unhindered by the Executive arm of government in Nigeria.
– The South-East has remained excluded from the board of the NCC and finally,
– There is no clear-cut policy plan to end the menace of building collapse in Nigeria following Onyewuchi’s motion.
BILLS: In the last twenty-four months, Onyewuchi claimed he has sponsored eight (8) BILLS. We would bring the reader up to speed with these claims while also stating the current position of those bills.
(Older Persons (Rights and Privileges) bill 2019) – The BILL was first presented in November 2019, it was passed in March 2021 and is presently awaiting Presidential assent.
(Money laundering (Prohibition Act) Amendment Bill 2019) – The BILL was presented in November 2019 and it didn’t pass second reading. It simply died after the first reading.
(Police Act Amendment Bill 2019) – The BILL was presented in October 2019 and it passed second reading in December 2019, it has remained with the Police Affairs Committee almost 2 years after.
(Tribunal of Enquiry Act (Amendment) Bill 2020) – The BILL was presented in December 2020, it hasn’t been mentioned again after first reading ever since.
(Labour Act Amendment Bill 2020 (Upward review of Labour Fines) – The BILL was presented in July 2020 and it passed second reading in March 2021. It has been awaiting a committee report from the Labour, Employment and Productivity committee.
(Labour Act Amendment Bill 2020 (Fair Termination) Same as above.
(Child Rights Act Amendment Bill 2020) – The BILL was presented in December 2020, it hasn’t been mentioned again for second reading ever since.
(Terrorism (Prevention) Amendment Bill 2021) – The BILL was presented in March 2021 and passed second reading in May 2021. It is currently with the Judiciary, Human Right and Legal Matters committee. This particular BILL is quite notable because while others were busy brainstorming on how to mount pressure on the government to secure the lives of Nigerians from kidnappers, Onyewuchi was busy looking for ways to jail Nigerians who cannot watch their loved ones die in the hands of their captors. In Onyewuchi’s books, when the government fails in her constitutional obligations, her innocent citizens should suffer the consequences.
In conclusion, a careful look at facts stated above would clearly show that Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi has not successfully amended or made any law as a LAWMAKER in twenty-four months. Perhaps he could get full credits for the Older Persons (Rights and Privileges) bill 2019) which is now awaiting presidential assent. The glaring failure clearly posits that Senator Onyewuchi either lacks the ability to do his homework well or lacks political sagacity to begin with. For a senator that has received approximately thirty million naira monthly (₦30,000,000.00) in form of salaries, allowances and bonuses monthly, much is definitely expected.
To be continued.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
