Appraising the core duty of lawmaking, OrderPaper rewards eighteen performing members of outgoing Ninth National Assembly for making it to the Semifinals of the country’s first-ever Most Valuable Parliamentarian Hall of Fame
READ ALSO: OrderPaper hosts Night of Glamour in honour of performing NASS members
Eighteen members of the outgoing Ninth National Assembly have received Certificates of Recognition for their valuable contributions in the core legislative function of lawmaking over the last four years.
Presenting the Certificates to the deserving lawmakers at a Night of Glamour held on May 21, 2023, at the Nigerian Airforce Conference Centre in Abuja, Executive Director of OrderPaper Nigeria, Oke Epia, described the recognition as the commencement of a very significant process that will hopefully help in promoting the institution of parliament of this country and building democracy.
The lawmakers recognised include Senators Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi representing (LP, Imo East), Suleiman Abdu Kwari (APC, Kaduna North) and Sadiq Suleiman Umar (APC, Kwara North) as Top Performers (Value and Impact Bills). Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu (APC, Bende Federal Constituency, Abia), Hon. Ben Rollands Igbakpa (PDP, Ethiope East / Ethiope West Federal Constituency, Delta) and Hon. Tajudeen Abbas (APC, Zaria Federal Constituency, Kaduna) were also recognised in the same category.
Four Members of the House of Representatives; Hon. Dan Agundi Munir Babba (APC, Kumbotso Federal Constituency, Kano), Hon. Uzoma Nkem Abonta (PDP, Ukwa East/Ukwa West Federal Constituency, Abia), Hon. Fulata Abubakar Hassan (APC, Birniwa/Guri/Kiri Kasama Federal Constituency, Jigawa) and Rt Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (APC, Surulere 1, Federal Constituency, Lagos) also bagged recognition in the House of Representatives Productivity Index.
DOWNLOAD: The MVP Hall of Fame Publication (Semifinal Edition)
In the category of Top Performers for House of Representatives Newbies; Hon. Davou Mwadkwon (PDP, Barkin Ladi/Riyom Federal Constituency, Plateau), Hon. Dachung Musa Bagos (PDP, Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency, Plateau), Hon. Onofiok Akpan Luke (PDP, Etinan/Nsit Ubium Federal Constituency, Akwa Ibom), Hon. Waive Ejiroghene Francis (APC, Ughelli North/Ughelli South/Udu Federal Constituency, Delta) were recognised.
The trio of Senators Micheal Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), Ifeanyi Ubah (YPP, Anambra South), and Mohammed Sani Musa (APC, Niger East) were also recognised for their performance as Top Senate Newbies. The lawmaker representing Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Unyime Idem (PDP), also got a Special Recognition for Valuable and Impactful Motions sponsored.
The lawmakers were part of a shortlist of 25 semifinalists for possible nomination into Nigeria’s first-ever Most Valuable Parliamentarian (MVP) Hall of Fame; an initiative of OrderPaper, the country’s foremost independent parliamentary monitoring organisation and policy think tank.
Reacting to their recognition, Hon. Ben Igbakpa, who expressed profound appreciation to OrderPaper for recognising him as one of the Top 10 Representatives in the 9th National Assembly, noting that the acknowledgement holds even greater value for him because he reached this feat as a first-timer. Another lawmaker, Hon. Francis Ejiroghene Waive, also appreciated OrderPaper for the honour as a first-time member while describing it as a birthday present and motivation to do more in the incoming 10th Assembly.
It is worthy of note that the 25 semifinalists emerged from a long list of 55 nominees previously announced on July 14, 2022, as outstanding performers at the midterm of the Ninth National Assembly following OrderPaper’s Appraisal of lawmakers in the first two years of the Legislative Assembly.
While the semifinalists were shortlisted using the performance of the lawmakers in the first three years of the Assembly, the shortlist was forwarded to a panel of experts drawn from parliamentary think tanks, the academia, the media and civil society, who performed oversight over the selection of finalists.
READ ALSO: 9th NASS: OrderPaper inducts five lawmakers into MVP Hall of Fame
At the Night of Glamour, five of the 469-member Ninth National Assembly who emerged as finalists were thus unveiled and inducted into the Most Valuable Parliamentarian (MVP) Hall of Fame.
The inductees are Senators Uba Sani (Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking), Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe (Chairman, Senate Committee on Health), Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi (Former Senate Majority Leader) as well as two Members of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Mohammed Tahir Monguno (Chief Whip of the 9th House) and Hon. Sam Ifeanyi Onuigbo (A former Chair of the House Committee on Climate Change).
The Kaduna Governor-Elect, Senator Sani, also emerged as the Most Valuable Parliamentarian (MVP) of the Ninth National Assembly; given his contributions in the area of lawmaking to the promises of the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government.
