John Adam Okloho is member
representing Adoka/Ogboju in the Benue State House of Assembly. He is the House Committee Chairman on
appropriation a lawyer by profession and an evangelist. He spoke to Photonews recently on his
responsibilities in the house, how he combines his legislative duties while
still evangelising. Excerpts:
You have been appointed to chair the standing committee on
Appropriation how has it been like?
The
word appropriation is gotten from proper. What is proper in terms of tabulation
of funds to various areas of Government or what is proper in terms of sharing
allocations; what in a department or ministry need so that the work in various
areas of Government will be properly exulted. The word appropriation is a very
big area of any administration because every administration must appropriately
allocate fund of the state but it is not properly allocated they will be crises
in the system, so I know the duties that have been assigned is a very cumber some
one that I believe with the knowledge I have in the private sector I will be
able to carry it out effectively. As the chairman appropriation committee in
Benue State House of Assembly I believe that I will do something that the state
would know that I have come here to see and to equally deliver.
You are Lawyer by profession and it appears you still
actively practice the law. Now that you are a legislature, how will your still
contribute usefully to the constituency you represent?
As a
lawyer and with private practice experience of about 13 years, I know the
aspiration and yearnings of individuals. I know what causes crises in their
life before they even approach me. Some crises are legal, some are
administrative, some are personal some are public problems and I have faced
this for 13 years. This has prepared me
sufficient enough to carry the burdens of my people. (1) because as a lawyer I
should know what the people need as a lawyer dealing with people I should know
what they desire I should know what they expect of me and to made it worst,
those who were representing my people have not done well. I stand to be
corrected. Some tried but they have not done well and therefore they were so
many things that they require, they
require the infrastructures, they require proper representation of their
interest in Benue State House of Assembly and visibility in this government, so
I am prepared as a lawyer and having acquired this skill on how to lobby, of
how to relate with people, how to approach people, of how to ask people
questions, I believe I will be representing them properly in the dispensation
that after four years they will not have cause to regret taking me to the Benue
State House of Assembly.
Do you think your constituents and indeed the state has
begun to feel the impact of your representation considering that some progress
has been made politically within the last one year of this dispensation?
I will
say yes, because we know how things were
when we came in, we came in when everything broke down administratively,
we came when the state was faced with a lot of debts and we are trying to sort
it out. For instance the bailout fund the Executive Governor collected from the
federal government, It is not our will to approve it, it is not his will to be
going out for loans either but we saw that the previous government left behind
so much debts and the people of Benue State were almost back to square one,
some people were dying of hunger
poverty, the whole system collapsed, and that is why we are doing all we can to make sure that the state comes back to
live again so I can say there is progress. In the last one year of the
administration, there is development because people now have peace. Previously
these things tormented people everywhere there was political killing here and
there but now we have our peace. People
are moving about normal, that is number one objectives that people have
peace and more about of any government that is in power, it must project this,
that people have peace and move about with their businesses without any fear, to me there
is change and we have improve to a certain level. We are expecting to do
more and we will do more by God Grace.
To what extent would you say the states’ Economic development
has been in the last one year?
There
is political development. There is a change mantra that is going on. So,
politically there progress. There are
even occurrences here and there that suggest there has been a shift. That I am
here today means there is some shift in the in the system because I came in
through political process, a situation that brought me here through election
and these are political procedures that who are in government, so politically
with these change. Elections was conducted peacefully they was exchange of
batten of power in Benue State that was done peacefully so that is political
development also we are seeing some of the things that have been abandoned
in the system because of these political
change life is coming up in them again. The school were closed for one reason
or the other politically, but today there are in the schools now the
University, other high institutions, secondary schools as well as the primary
schools. Teachers are been paid so these are political changes and they bring
development and the political change has brought a change for everybody so
politically we have done well.
You were taken to court by your main challenger in the
elections after your victory to represent your constituency, what is our
approach in resolving conflict?
I did
conflict resolution as a lawyer and as an evangelist, the Bible says make peace
before somebody take you to court or to those who will preside over your
affairs. Based on these, after the elections or before the election we met
during our electioneering on several occasions and I will embrace my opponent,
he took me to court because he assumed he lost through irregularities and that
is the best place or some on to go they were several elders in my place who
approach him said look don’t take these matter to court we have made our choice
and he is the one that will represent us now you have had your own time, but he
refused I know persons who approached the family and talked to the elders of
his family but, Joshua Ogbole refused to harken to the voice of the elders and
continued with the case in the court and on the
21st October 2015, the court ruled that my elections was devoid of any
irregularities of any kind and with that today I am calling him to come and
support me, he is my younger brother. I know his future is still bright for
him. There is still so much for him and
even in the political system he has to
learn and I know his future is still bright so am appealing to him using these
medium that he should please join me to help our people and make them go
forward to develop our place so that if those who will also came tomorrow can
they will know that we were here we did the best we can so the conflict
resolution skill that I equal as a lawyer I use it and practice it to a very
high level in these matter but this is the way God want it and I got my victory
retained or upheld by the court of law. I believe, I have done well in this
system but today am appealing to him to come.
How would you describe yourself?
I am a
child of God, I am a lawyer, I am a humble person, and I am a diligent person.
A disciplined person, I dedicate myself to anything that is given to me by God
and by humanity. Whatever that is assigned to me I will make sure not to
disappoint those who assigned it to me. I am Frank, I hate gossip, when even I
stand to contribute I am always frank, bold because I say it with the best of
knowledge I have. I wish others to progress; if others around you progress you
have peace you are better off so therefore I want these Government to see it
like that. That we are here to make people better that is how I am and am
prepared to listen to anybody on earth, I accept everybody, I don’t care the
tribe or religion as the propagator of the word of God I love people and
without people you won’t be where you are and I love Benue State.
I came
back from Vienna Austria where I was attending International Bar Association, I
saw the city of Vienna as lovely and beautify, I want the cities of Nigeria at
large to be as good as Vienna we must love ourselves we must do thing in public
as if we are doing in private because by the time wel sustain the things we do
in the private office, the government will do well, and in Benue we are far
behind and so we need to catch up with other people who have gone ahead of us
because we have all it takes, for example, the mineral resources and human
resources to be a great state among others in Nigeria.
Best moment?
When I
got married to my lovely wife
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