10th NASS: “I have come to change the narratives” – Hon. Chief Billy Osawaru

Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Monday, Hon Osawaru who thanked the people of Orhionmwon/Uhumwode Federal Constituency for believing in him and sending him to the National Assembly to represent them, said,

“I want to assure you that I have come here to change the narratives. I have come here to give to my constituency what they have been lacking for a long time. Yes, my predecessors have done well. It is my goal to do better. I want to attract the dividends of democracy to my constituency.

“I want to give them my time. I want to be having a town hall meeting with my people every quarter. I want to be the first to do that in my constituency. I want them to really tell me what they want because I believe you give water to the thirsty and food to the hungry, and not the other way round. And I can only achieve this when I hold interactive sections regularly with my people.

On his agenda for the 10th National Assembly, Hon. Osawaru said insecurity, education and infrastructural development will be his priority.

“The issue of insecurity, you see, nothing else is going to work if we don’t takecare of the insecurity that we are having in the rural areas of the country. That is going to be my first task.

“Yes I know we have laws pertaining to insecurity already, but I need to see why they are not working. We have been having a lots of kidnapping issues and herdsmen crisis. As I speak to you there are a lot of farmers that have been attacked and molested by herdsmen. Even some have been killed.

“My first assignment is to make sure I sponsor bills that will protect the people of my constituency and Nigerians in general.

“Right now we are experiencing a drift. Our kids are moving to the city to get a quality education. What happens? The implications of that is that when they start moving out of their place, who’s now going to come to the place?

“We are having that big issue now when it comes to the education of our children. That is another area I want to look into. How do we bring quality education to our constituencies so that we can prepare and raise young leaders that we take over from us.

“I have done some research, and I have found out why the Yorubas are very industrious. I took a look at when Obafemi Awolowo was the Premier of the Western Region. The free education he gave to his people actually took care of the poverty that would have been transferred from one generation to the other.

“I’m sure some of us can take a clue from that and begin to give our people quality education because if we want to change Nigeria, we must first of all give our people good and quality education for them to know what is right and wrong, good and bad.

“Everyone cannot send their kids to private schools. What do we do now? We have to go back and make sure the schools we have in our Federal Constituencies can compete with the private schools.

“Most of these things will come when we have good legislation. That’s one area I will focus on, and already I’m looking at the bills to push for it.

“I’m also looking at the area of infrastructure too. We are mostly rural and we still suffer most of those things. I can tell you that

Orhionmwon and Uhumwode are two Local Government Areas that are so close to the capital city of Edo State, but they are still far from development.

“We still have some of the villages that have not seen light. So what happens to Rural Electrification Projects. So I’m going to be working with some of the agencies responsible for those things and attract some of those benefits to my people.

“Those areas (insecurity, education and infrastructural development) mean a lot to me. They are a priority for me. Again, don’t forget that the job of a legislator doesn’t end at making laws only, I still need to represent my people very well.

“I want to attract projects to my Constituency because they need them more than the urban areas.

About the oversight function of the lawmakers, Hon. Billy Osawaru, who holds a Doctorate in International Business, said he wants to do things differently.

“That is where a lot of our lawmakers are not getting it right. And I want to take it up because we can’t be doing the same thing over and over and expect a different result.

“It is of no good to make good laws if we cannot make sure the laws are being implemented correctly. That’s where oversight comes in!

“Well, I’m here now, I want to do things differently. If I’m going to oversight your agency, I want to do it the way it is supposed to be, and let us see the result we are going to get. Believe me, we are going to get better results.

On the preferred candidate for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly, the Benin high chief noted that the legislators want the best to represent them.

“We have looked at the criteria; I’m here and I will proudly tell you that I’m supporting Hon Tajudeen Abbas.

“I have looked at his credentials, I have looked at his antecedents, his past records. He has the best record! For a man that was able to sponsor 74 bills and 21 of them were assented to. It is not easy to have someone in the House to have achieved that feat.

“And I’m sure someone who really means well for Nigeria will want to emulate that feat.” He added.