A Civil Society Organisation, OrderPaper Nigeria and its partners have announced the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, and 18 other members of the Ninth National Assembly as Semi-Finalists for the country’s first-ever Most Valuable Parliamentarian (MVP) Hall of Fame.
In a statement at the weekend, the Executive Director of the organisation, Oke Epia, said the awardees also included a female Senator, two Principal Officers, two Presiding Officers and ten first-term lawmakers across party lines from both the Senate and House of Representatives.
The MVP Hall of Fame initiative, which is in furtherance of OrderPaper’s contributions to legislative strengthening and promotion of improved service delivery in the National Assembly, aims at identifying and sustaining a distinct class of legislators who are performance-driven, excellence-inspired, and public-spirited. According to the statement, having undertaken an independent, unprecedented data-driven annual performance appraisal of the 469-member Ninth National Assembly since its first anniversary in 2020, the organisation deemed it appropriate and timely to commence instituting the MVP Hall of Fame.
The annual appraisals focused exclusively on the core legislative function of law-making, and consideration for the MVP nomination and subsequent shortlisting essentially applied to the criteria of value, impact and productivity in rating the contributions of those shortlisted.
Following the midterm appraisals, 55 members of the National Assembly were nominated for possible induction and consequently conferred with certificates of recognition at a prestigious Evening of Sparkles held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja in July 2022.Only 20 of the nominees have now made the semi-final shortlist and would be subjected to a rigorous points-based scoring system to arrive as the eventual inductees into the Hall of Fame.
The lawmakers who made the semi-final list included: “Top Performers- Value and Impact Bills – Samuel Ifeanyi Onuigbo (APC, Umuahia North/Umuahia South, Federal Constituency, Abia); Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi (LP, Imo East Senatorial District); Ovie Augustine Omo-Agege (APC, Delta Central Senatorial District), and Uba Sani (APC, Kaduna Central Senatorial District), Benjamin Okezie Kalu (APC, Bende, Federal Constituency, Abia).
On the other hand, top performers – Senate Productivity Index – Uba Sani (APC, Kaduna Central Senatorial District); Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe (APC, Kwara Central Senatorial District); Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed (APC, Adamawa-Central Senatorial District); Mohammed Sani Musa (APC, Niger East Senatorial District) and Ovie Augustine Omo-Agege (APC, Delta Central Senatorial District).”
“Top Performers, House Of Representatives Productivity Index, Dan Agundi Munir Babba (APC, Kumbotso Federal Constituency, Kano), Uzoma Nkem Abonta (PDP, Ukwa East/Ukwa West, Federal Constituency, Abia), Fulata Abubakar Hassan (APC, Birniwa/Guri /Kiri Kasama, Federal Constituency, Jigawa), Mohammed Tahir Monguno (APC, Monguno /Nganzai/Marte, Federal Constituency, Borno), and Femi Gbajabiamila (APC, Surulere I, Federal Constituency, Lagos).“Top Performers, Senate Newbies – Mohammed Sani Musa (APC, Niger East Senatorial District), Uba Sani (APC, Kaduna Central Senatorial District), Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North Senatorial District), Micheal Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central Senatorial District), Ifeanyi Patrick Ubah (YPP, Anambra South Senatorial District).
“Top Performers, House of Representatives Newbies – Simon Davou Mwadkwon (PDP, Barkin Ladi /Riyom Federal Constituency, Plateau), Dachung Musa Bagos (PDP, Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency, Plateau), Onofiok Luke Akpan (PDP, Etinan/Nsit Ibom / Nsit Ubium Federal Constituency, Akwa Ibom), Waive Ejiroghene Francis (APC, Ughelli North /Ughelli South/ Udu Federal Constituency, Delta) and Benjamin Okezie Kalu (APC, Bende, Federal Constituency, Abia).”