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Yakubu Dogara

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The Right Honourable
Yakubu Dogara
CFR
Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara during plenary
13th Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria
In office
9 June 2015 – 9 June 2019
DeputyYusuf Sulaimon Lasun
Preceded byAminu Waziri Tambuwal
Succeeded byFemi Gbajabiamila
Member of the
House of Representatives of Nigeria
from Bauchi
In office
5 June 2007 – 11 June 2023
Succeeded byHon. Jafaru Gambo Leko
ConstituencyDass/Bogoro/Tafawa Balewa
Personal details
Born (1967-12-26) 26 December 1967 (age 56)
Gwarangah, North-Eastern State, Nigeria (now in Bauchi State)
SpouseGimbiya Yakubu Dogara
Alma materUniversity of Jos
Websitedogarayakubu.net

Yakubu Dogara CFR[1] (born 26 December 1967) is a Nigerian politician and lawyer who served as the 13th Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019.[2]

Dogara is a member of the PDP.[3] He served as the House of Representatives Member for Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal constituency of Bauchi State from 2007 to 2023.[4]

Early life and education

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Yakubu Dogara was born to Yakubu Ganawuri and Saratu Yakubu on 26 December 1967. He began his education in 1976 at Gwarangah Primary School in the then Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State. Upon graduation in 1982, he proceeded to the Bauchi Teachers’ College for his secondary education, and obtained a Grade II Teachers' Certificate in 1987. In 1988, he went on to the University of Jos, Plateau State, from where he obtained a Bachelor of Law (LLB Hons.) degree in 1992.

From 1992 to 1993, Dogara was a student at the Lagos campus of the Nigerian Law School and was called to the bar in 1993. He later obtained a Masters (LLM) in International Commercial Law at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland.[5]

Dogara also attended a course on Managing and Leading Strategic Change in 2006, the Oxford University Course on Negotiation in 2013, and a course on Leadership in Crisis at the Harvard Kennedy School in 2014. In October 2016, after he had become Speaker of the House of Representatives, he attended a course on transformational leadership in Cambridge University, United Kingdom.

Professional career

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He first took up employment in April 1988 as a teacher at the ATBU Staff School in Bauchi. In 1993, during the mandatory National Youth Service Corps, he served at NCCF, Akwa Ibom state. Upon completion of the NYSC programme in 1994, he went into private legal practice until 2005 when he was appointed special assistant to the Minister of State for Transport.

He held this position until 2006, when he decided to contest the Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa-Balewa constituency at the Federal House of Representatives. His bid proved successful and he has been a member of the House since 2007.[6]

House of Representatives

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Dogara is a strong advocate for the independence of the legislature,[7] and has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2007. His legislative interests include tenancy, regulating monopolies, company law, and intellectual property.[8] He has sponsored many bills and undertaken several assignments, some of which are mentioned below;

Committee memberships

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During the Sixth Assembly (2007 - 2011), Dogara chaired two House committees, namely the House Committee on Customs and Excise, and the House Services Committee. During this period, he was also a member of the House committees on Judiciary, Capital Markets and Institutions, Foreign Affairs, Rural Development and Power, among others.

During the Seventh Assembly (2011-2015), he served as chairman of the committee on House Services and Welfare, and as a member of others including Judiciary, Land Transport, Labour, Employment and Productivity, Steel Development, and Legislative Budget and Research.[5]

House activities and assignments

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Dogara has also served on panels and adhoc committees in the following capacities;[9]

  • Chairman, Nigerian Customs Service Probe Panel
  • Chairman, Adhoc Committee on Composition and Pigmentation of Cement in Nigeria
  • Chairman, House Adhoc Committee on Disbursement of Public Funds by the Bank of Industry
  • Member, House Contract Scam Probe Panel
  • Member, Hijack of fishing vessels and Maritime Security Probe Panel
  • Member, House Adhoc Committee on Crude Oil Theft
  • Member, House Adhoc Committee on Constitutional Review

Bills sponsored

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In 2010, Dogara sponsored the Corporate Manslaughter[10] and the Data Protection Bill. These were followed by Federal Competition Commission Bill in 2011.

In 2013, he sponsored a bill for an act to amend section 143 of the Nigerian Constitution in order to make the process of removal of the president and the vice president (on charges of misconduct) less ambiguous.[11] In the same year, he also sponsored bills on Public Interest Disclosure,[12] and Hire Purchase.[13]

In the Eighth Assembly, i.e. the current dispensation, Dogara has sponsored bills which include the North-East Development Commission Establishment Bill 2015,[14] the Subsidiary Legislation Bill 2015,[15] the Federal Competition Bill 2015, the Data Protection Bill 2015,[16] the Public Interest Disclosure Bill 2015[17] and the Hire Purchase Bill 2015.[18] He is also sponsoring the Budget Process Bill in fulfilment of his promises to reform Nigeria's budgeting process. The Bill when passed into law, according to him, will outlaw non-implementation of budgets which is the bane of Nigeria's development since 1999.

Motions Sponsored

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Dogara has sponsored many motions throughout the duration of his legislative career, some of which bordered on;

  • An alleged concession agreement between the Ministry of Finance and a technology firm which was signed in secrecy during the government transition period[19]
  • The indiscriminate granting of waivers, exemptions and concessions by the Federal Government[20]
  • The need for the Central Bank of Nigeria to implement the cashless policy in phases based on the availability of the requisite infrastructure.[21]
  • Urgent need for both Houses of the National Assembly to activate their constitutional powers under section 58 (1) (5) of the 1999 Constitution in relation to bills over which the president has failed to exercise constitutional responsibilities and powers under section 58 (1) and (4) of the Constitution.[22]

Speakership

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Dogara was elected Speaker on June 9, 2015, after a keenly contested election. Upon winning the contest, he introduced a legislative agenda for the Eighth House which would serve as its guiding document for a period of four years.

Dogara also constituted a committee which he charged with the duty of reviewing obsolete laws, with a view to repealing or amending the necessary laws in line with global best practices.[23][24] Dogara has, on many occasions, spoken about the need to update Nigeria's laws in order to attract investments and provide jobs for the nation's millions of unemployed people. As a result of the work of the stated committee, the House of Representatives set a record in December 2015 when 130 bills passed first reading in one sitting.[25] Following that first batch of bills, another 100 were introduced in one day in June 2016.[26] As at June, 2016, after a year in office, the House had passed 85 bills through third reading; the highest in the history of Nigeria's National Assembly.[27]

The Dogara-led House also introduced sectoral debates on the Nigerian economy, during which ministers placed in charge of different vital portfolios engaged members of the House of Representatives with a view to establishing the required legislative framework for economic stimulation and growth.[28]

Dogara has also been lauded for his ability to manage the affairs of the House effectively and for quelling the leadership crisis which engulfed the House of Representatives following his emergence as Speaker.

Dogara is a strong advocate for the reconstruction, rehabilitation and recovery of the North-East region of Nigeria, which has been ravaged by six years of insurgency. He made history as the first ever Speaker to step down from his seat to sponsor a motion when he raised a motion on the urgent need for rehabilitation, reconstruction, recovery and development of the North-East zone of Nigeria.[29]

He has also called on the international community to assist with rebuilding the region, and suggested convening a donor conference to achieve this. Dogara has also visited Internally Displaced Persons (IDP's) in camps across Nigeria, in Edo, Abuja, Adamawa and other states, and donated relief materials.[30][31][32]

Not Too Young To Run

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Dogara is an active supporter of the Not Too Young To Run campaign, which aims to secure representation for Nigeria's youth in the political process by lowering the age of eligibility for elective offices. He first mentioned the need to consider this reduction in the next amendment process during a meeting with student leaders drawn from across Nigerian tertiary institutions.[33] After this, the Not Too Young to Run bill was sponsored by Tony Nwulu, a member of the House of Representatives, and the bill has since scaled second reading in the House of Representatives.[34][35]

Local Government Autonomy

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Dogara, as Speaker, has advocated extensively for local government autonomy in Nigeria. His support for local government autonomy is informed by his belief that it will result in greater and quicker development at grassroots level, and the House of Representatives, under his leadership, is pursuing constitutional amendments which would grant both political and financial independence to local governments.[36][37]

The move has been met with commendation from different segments of the Nigerian population, including socio-cultural group and labour unions such as the National Union of Local Government Employees,[38] among others.[39]

Budget Reforms

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The Legislative Agenda for the Eighth House - which Dogara leads - has a section on budget reforms which states that: "The House shall examine the efficacy of conducting public hearings on the Budget before legislative approval as this exposes the National Budget to increased citizen and stakeholder participation". In February 2017, during the 2017 budget cycle, both chambers of the Nigerian National Assembly - namely the Senate and the House of Representatives - held the first ever public hearing on the national budget.[40] At the hearing, the Speaker stated that further reforms were being made to the budget process, such as setting a time frame and activity schedule for the entire budgeting process.[41]

Legislative Intervention on Economic Recession

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Due to dwindling revenue from oil and alleged mismanagement of funds by the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan, the Nigerian economy slipped into a recession shortly after President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in. Upon resumption from the Christmas/New Year recess in 2017, Dogara declared that the House must focus mainly on economic growth and rejuvenation by granting expeditious passage to legislation such as the Public Procurement Act Amendment Bill, the Federal Competition Bill and the Petroleum Industry Bill.[42][43] Also, in response to the hardship experienced by many Nigerians, Dogara inaugurated an ad-hoc tactical committee in February 2017, which was charged with the mandate of monitoring policies enacted by the Executive, which are geared at ending the recession.[44] The House under Dogara had, in 2016, also introduced sectoral debates, which entailed having selected ministers engage members of the House on legislative interventions required to achieve economic diversification.[45][46]

Other Legislative Interventions

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Dogara has called for the completion of dredging of inland water ways to open up the country and explore the potentials of agricultural and mining sectors.[47] In 2016, his office was instrumental in averting a strike by Nigerian resident doctors.[48][49]

Professional affiliations

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Dogara is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the International Bar Association, the Nigerian Institute of Management, the Chartered Institute of Mediators and Conciliators, the Cyber Bar Association and the Social Policy Association. He is also an associate member of the Institute of Environment Management and Assessment, and the World Jurist Association, among others.

He also serves as the secretary of the board of trustees and legal adviser to FAcE-PAM, an NGO operating in Bauchi State.

Personal life

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Dogara is a Christian. Shortly after his election as speaker, Dogara held a thanksgiving service at Living Faith Church Worldwide. He explained that his victory was through divine placement and the teachings from the Church since 1988.[50]

Awards and recognition

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He was selected as leadership Newspaper's Politician of the Year in 2015.[51] In March 2016, he was honoured by the Royal Commonwealth Society of Nigeria for passing 130 bills in one day,[52] and on 10 June 2016, he was presented with the Zik Prize in Leadership Award for Public Service.[53] He was also voted Political Icon of the Year 2016 by the Editorial Board of the Sun Newspaper, and named Politician of the Year by City People Magazine at their 2017 award programme.[54][55]

In October 2022, President Muhammadu Buhari conferred on Dogara Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), a Nigerian national honour.[56]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Okonoboh, Rita (2 October 2022). "Full List: Okonjo-Iweala, Abba Kyari... FG nominates 437 persons for national honours". TheCable. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  2. ^ Turaki Adamu Hassan (26 December 2017). "Yakubu Dogara at 50". The Sun. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  3. ^ Igwe, Ignatius (5 December 2022). "Dogara Defects To PDP After Declaring Support For Atiku". Channels TV. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  4. ^ Oyewole, Rauf (26 January 2022). "Dogara: I'm unaware my traditional title is suspended". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Those Who Want to be House Speaker". This Day. 12 April 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  6. ^ "Yakubu Dogara news - latest breaking stories and top headlines". Today. Archived from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  7. ^ Krishi, Musa Abdullahi (9 June 2015). "Vote for independence of legislature, Dogara tells members". Daily Trust. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  8. ^ "Official Webpage of Hon. Dogara Yakubu". Nigerian National Assembly. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  9. ^ Ameh, John (28 March 2013). "Capital Market Probe: Old Problem, New Investigators". The Punch. Archived from the original on 30 April 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  10. ^ Hassan, Turaki A. (26 February 2011). "Corporate Manslaughter Bill will Check Companies' Deadly Sloppiness - Rep. Dogara". Daily Trust. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  11. ^ "House Seeks to Ease Impeachment of President, VP". This Day. Archived from the original on 8 June 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  12. ^ "House of Representatives Federal Republic of Nigeria Order Paper" (PDF). National Assembly. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 April 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  13. ^ "House of Reps Order Paper Tuesday 4 June, 2013" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 April 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  14. ^ "House of Representatives Order Paper". nassnig.org. Nigerian National Assembly. Archived from the original on 1 July 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  15. ^ "Subsidiary Legislation (Regulation) Bill, 2015". Eyes on the Mandate. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  16. ^ "Data Protection Bill 2015". Eye on the Mandate. 19 January 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  17. ^ "Public Interest Disclosure Bill, 2015". Eyes on the Mandate. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  18. ^ "House of Representatives Order Paper". nassnig.org. Nigerian National Assembly. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  19. ^ "Reps Probe Concession of Ports". The Nigerian Voice. NBF News. 17 July 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  20. ^ "N276B: House Begins Probe of All FG's Import Waivers, Concessions". The Will. The Nigerian Voice. 24 November 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  21. ^ Ndiribe, Okey (28 June 2013). "Reps urge CBN to Implement Cashless Policy in Phases". Vanguard. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  22. ^ Nzeshi, Onwuka (8 November 2013). "House Moves to Override Jonathan's Veto on Bills". This Day. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  23. ^ Imoisili, Edith (23 July 2015). "Speaker inaugurates Committee To Review Existing law And Law Reform". Nigerian Observer. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  24. ^ Adigun, Omodele (26 September 2016). "CEO interview: Obsolete laws behind Nigeria's poor rating on Ease of Doing Business –Dogara, Speaker, House of Reps". The Sun. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  25. ^ Nwabufo, Fredrick (10 December 2015). "In one day, 130 bills pass first reading in House of Reps". TheCable. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  26. ^ "100 Bills Scale First Reading in House of Representatives (@HouseNGR)". The Paradigm. Archived from the original on 21 February 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  27. ^ "House of Reps passed 85 bills in first legislative year - Dogara". Leadership. 9 June 2016. Archived from the original on 21 February 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  28. ^ Hassan, Turaki Adamu (9 June 2016). "600 Bills, 600 Motions in One Year, the Dogara Score Card". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  29. ^ Krishi, Abdullahi Musa (29 August 2015). "8th House quest to re-build terrorism-hit North-East". Daily Trust. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  30. ^ Krishi, Musa Abdullahi; Sule, Ibrahim Kabiru (7 January 2016). "Dogara Visits IDP Camp, Donates Foodstuff". Daily Trust. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  31. ^ Krishi, Musa Abdullahi; Sule, Ibrahim Kabiru (7 February 2016). "Dogara Weeps in Edo IDP Camp". Daily Trust. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  32. ^ "Dogara Visits Adamawa IDP's, says: "Our Priority is to Return all IDP's Home"". Breaking Times. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  33. ^ "Speaker, House of Representatives Holds Dialogue Session with Students of Nigerian Universities". National Assembly, Federal Republic of Nigeria. Nigerian National Assembly. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  34. ^ "Speaker House of Reps, Yakubu Dogara, Shows Support for #NOTTOOYOUNGTORUN Bill". YIAGA. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  35. ^ Natsa, Ruth Tene. "#NOTTOOYOUNGTORUN: We Must Develop Our Youths for Leadership to Endure – Dogara". YIAGA. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  36. ^ Adedapo, Adebiyi (19 January 2017). "Why we want autonomy for Local Governments - Dogara". Leadership. Archived from the original on 20 February 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  37. ^ Ovuakporie, Emman (19 January 2017). "Financial autonomy to LGAs'll guarantee grassroots development - Dogara". Vanguard. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  38. ^ "Why we want to grant autonomy to LGAs - Dogara". Daily Post. 18 January 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  39. ^ Williams, Osewezina. "Speaker Dogara commended on Local Government autonomy push". Channels TVaccess-date=7 October 2024.
  40. ^ "NASS to Conduct Public Hearing on 2017 Budget". Abusidiqu. Archived from the original on 20 February 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  41. ^ Inyang, Ifreke (13 February 2017). "Full text of Hon. Dogara's speech at public hearing on 2017 budget". Daily Post. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  42. ^ "Welcome address at resumption from Christmas/2017 New year recess". Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  43. ^ Inyang, Ifreke (10 January 2017). "House committed to ending recession - Dogara". Daily Post. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  44. ^ Ovuakporie, Emman (14 February 2017). "Recession: We'll use our legislative tools to alleviate suffering of Nigerians - Dogara". Vanguard. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  45. ^ Ogundipe, Samuel (2 May 2016). "Speaker Dogara invites ministers to debate on economic diversification". Premium Times. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  46. ^ Gbadebo, Bode (23 April 2016). "Reps to begin sectoral debates on economy soon - Dogara". Leadership. Archived from the original on 20 February 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  47. ^ "Inland waterways key to unlocking mining, agric sectors, says Dogara". The Guardian. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  48. ^ Abuh, Adamu (9 June 2016). "NARD meets Dogara, suspends proposed strike for one week". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  49. ^ "NMA: Official Statement on Hon Yakubu Dogara's Intervention On The Impasse Between NARD & FG". Medical World Nigeria. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  50. ^ Takur, Sani (14 June 2015). "God made me Speaker – Dogara". Premium Times. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  51. ^ "LEADERSHIP Award, A Greater Confidence In Me – Dogara". Naija Twitter. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  52. ^ "Commonwealth honours Dogara for passing 130 bills in one day". Leadership. 10 March 2016. Archived from the original on 21 February 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  53. ^ "Obiano, John Momoh, Dogara, Others Bag 2015 Zik Prize Award". Channels TV. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  54. ^ "The Sun Awards most prestigious in Nigeria - Dogara". The Sun. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  55. ^ Ago, Arinze (4 April 2017). "Full List of WinnersAat the 20th City People Awards for Excellence". City People Magazine.
  56. ^ "News in Photographs: Buhari Confers National Honours on Distinguished Nigerians, Foreigners". This Day. 11 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
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