*RT. HON. BENJAMIN KALU: MEET THE INCOMING DEPUTY SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES*
Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu is set to become the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in the upcoming 10th Assembly following the announcement of his endorsement by the APC NWC and the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu after series of consultation with the APC NASS caucus and other critical stakeholders. But who is Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu?
Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu is the Lawmaker representing Bende Federal Constituency of Abia State and the incumbent Spokesperson of the House of Representatives by virtue of his position as the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs. He is therefore an integral part of the leadership of the outgoing 9th Assembly – one of the most productive in our democratic history.
Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu when it comes to his core legislative activities is ranked as one of the Top 10 House of Representatives members by bill sponsorship in the outgoing Assembly having sponsored numerous bills and motions many of which were passed into law. In just under four years as a lawmaker, he has sponsored over 40 important bills, a feat which many of the longest serving lawmakers are yet to achieve.
Some of the bills include: Federal College of Education Bende, (Establishment,etc.) Bill 2020, Industrial Development (Income Tax Relief) Act (Amendment) Bill, Counterfeit Currency (Special Provisions) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2020, Dangerous Drugs Act (Amendment) Bill 2020, Acts Authentication Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019, Nigerian Meteorological Agency Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019, Nigerian Communications Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019, Internal Loans (Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Development) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019, Public Accounts Implementation Tribunal Act (Repeal) Bill 2019, Official Secrets Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019, among others.
His most recent bill which seeks to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to delete the item “prisons” in the Exclusive Legislative List and redesignate it as “Correctional Services” in the Concurrent Legislative List was assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari, which in itself is unprecedented. He has also attracted countless projects to his Constituency within four years ranging from road rehabilitation and construction, rehabilitation of schools and medical centres, distribution of educational material, construction of solar powered boreholes etc.
In the upcoming 10th Assembly, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu is the highest ranking returning member of the House of Representatives from the South East. Apart from that, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu is vastly experienced in the art of lawmaking and the workings of the Green Chambers having occupied the crucial post of the Image maker/Spokesperson of the House for the last four years. So, it’s not surprising that many of his colleagues and the APC leadership saw him as a worthy name to serve as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
As a consummate party man, he decided to listen to his party, the President-elect and most importantly his parliamentary colleagues and step down his initial ambition to vie for the Speakership position and accept the position of the Deputy Speaker instead. Nigerians have got in Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, a highly competent and progressive-minded Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. It is time to rally round this Iroko from Bende to help deliver the Renewed Hope dividends that will come from the incoming Bola Tinubu administration to all Nigerians.
#BenKaluIsHere!
