Hon Zakari Mohammed has been saddled with the responsibilities of heading sensitive public positions at state
level. He was the commissioner for energy amongst other positions before he voluntarily resigned to contest for a seat in the House of Representatives. He is currently the House Committee Chairman on Media and Public Affairs.
In this interview with National WAVES’ publisher, Jimmy Enyeh, the smooth talking legislator opened up on his activities as the image maker of the house. Read on…
For the benefit of our readers who do not know you, could you tell us what you were doing before you won election into the House of Representatives?
My name is Zakari Mohammed; I was born forty two years ago. I have Diploma in Civil Law, and another Diploma in Journalism, a first Degree in Sociology and a second degree in criminology.
I am a journalist by training, and by vocation, I am a politician, I am currently a parliamentarian.I started my working career by having a stinct with Kwara State Broad Casting Corporation. Before joining politics in 2001, I joined the Peoples Democratic Party.I was in charge of publicity Bukola Saraki Campaign Organization in 2003. I was later made Special Assistant to Ex-governor Bukola Saraki on sport, I was a board member of the football team, Kwara state football club in the state before I was eventually made Chairman and that was the year the club did so well, we won the Nigerian’s premier league and won continental ticket. Later, elections were conducted for second term and I became the commissioner for Sports Youth and Development. I served in the Kwara State Executive Council from 2007 and later part of 2008 in that capacity until I was deployed to take charge of Ministry of Energy. I did that for about a year. Under my leadership in the Ministry of Energy we covered most of the rural areas In Kwara State.Basically I was mandated to take electricity to rural areas and I did just that.The state government injected money into the project and it is a grand success. As I speak with you, if you go to Kwara State you will find out that most of the rural areas have electricity.I resigned voluntarily to contest the House of Representative and won. When I got here, as providence will have it, I was selected as the chairman House Committee on Media and Public Affairs. And I am here contributing my quota.
Going by your background you do not have pedigree relating to politics, how did you join politics?
I don’t have a background that has to do with politics, my father was a career person, he used to be a teacher and later worked as a zonal electoral officer with the National Electoral Commission NEC. He was there until he died in 1991. Rather, I was motivated by my leader Senator Bukola Saraki, while he was contesting for governorship, he brought us on board and we worked with him.I started politics like joke and here we are today, my leader was governor twice and currently a sitting Senator. While he was governor, some of us were his aides and he taught us the rudiments of politics.
Despite being new in the House of Representative, you are the Chairman, Committee on Media and Public Affairs, how were you able to achieve this?
It is just providence. We have 360 members here, and I was selected to head the media committee.I was part of the members who contributed to the emergence of the present leadership, I mean the speaker and the Deputy Speaker and they found certain qualities in me and made me the image maker of the House, just like every other committee chairman I heard my name and I was surprised. And I told myself that I have never failed in all the assignment given to me and this of course will not be an exception.
I am happy that my colleagues in the media have been very supportive and I thank you for your support.
Could you throw more light on bills you are working on?
I have a bill very close to my heart, that is coming up and that is the bill to amend the constitution of the Nigerian Section 162 2a and 2b that is to create the office of the Accountant General of Federal government and the Accountant General of the federal federation the bill has gone through first reading and will soon come up the
second reading. The bill seeks to divide the office of the Accountant General to two. The federation account is a creation of law and of course the three arms of government every month, but under the ambiance of the ministry of Finance, sometimes it is seen as a civil servant and the sharing formula is in favour more of the federal government. There were certain times that there were hidden Account and charges. I will give an instance, sometimes ago the NNPC was found out by the Senate Committee to be operating a secret account, the Minister said she knows
about the account but doesn’t know the signatories.
The Accountant General said he does not know about the account.
These are the reasons why we want to divide the office into two. I know that a certain interest group will not like it but I believe that this is one of the steps for us to move forward.
There is another bill that I am working on with some colleague and that is the one that has to do with articulated vehicles; I am one sponsor of the bills. Articulated vehicles should not move more than six o clock, I am talking about all these big trucks.We are a creation of the law and we should abide by the laid down procedure of law making. Sometimes when law makers speak to the press they are talking in their individual capacity not on behalf of the house. I think we need to correct that impression.
What would you like to be remembered for when you leave your position as chairman of the house committee on media?
I want to be remembered as the young man who came in here to contribute his quota to the development in the legislative house. Before now, the 6th assembly, with due respect, had a particular image. We have decided to kindle hopes in the 7th assembly particularly in the House of Representatives. Nigerians now see us as their vanguard of hope. Basically, I want to be remembered as one young man who came to portray a better image for the 7th assembly.
There was a time there was this threat to impeach Mr. President what is the situation like now?
We were debating the dismal performance of the 2012 budget. By the time we went on break there was nothing to show that was July, seven months into the year. And Hon. Gbajabiamilla said that if by the time we resume the budget has not improved we will be forced to begin to collect articles of impeachment. That is how the issue came up against Mr. President. We believe that non-implementation of the appropriation act is an impeachable offense. We are not quick to do this. That is why you see us go on oversight functions when we resumed. We have collected reports from ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). From the 8th- 9th we’ll not be sitting in plenary because we’ll be going on oversight functions to compare what we got from MDAs in terms of their capital budget performance vis-à-vis what is on ground. When we come back we will be better placed to say if the budget has improved or not.
If the budget has not improved, what would happen?
The house will decide what would happen then.
Tell us your happiest and your saddest moment in life
Life is not about happiness all the time. Sometimes you are happy, sometimes you are sad. There was a time I lost my parents in quick succession. It was like it was the end of the road for me but I had to pick up the pieces. The fact that I don’t have parents does not mean I don’t have a place in life. If you have God as a father I think things will work out well for you. When the people around me are happy I am happy too. I think my happiest moment was when I secured my first political appointment.
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