By Orkula Shaagee, Abuja      

The Mutual Union of the Tiv in America (MUTA) has said it was  shocked by the refusal by the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase, to listen to its petition.

In a statement made available to DAILY ASSET yesterday, MUTA  said on March 10, 2021, the Deputy Speaker summarily dismissed Hon.

“Is Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, correct in his declaration on the floor of the House, that diaspora Nigerians have lost their rights to present a grievance before the Green Chambers?

“No sooner had Hon.

“ This was shameful conduct on the part of Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase, and deserves outright condemnation by all Nigerians especially those of us in the Diaspora,” the statement said.

The group argued that as Tiv people of Nigeria living in America, its members were rightful stakeholders in the affairs of Nigeria, especially issues that directly impact the lives of their kith and kin.

“As far as the petition we sent to Hon. Gbillah goes, many of us have relatives who were either killed or displaced by the violence that was unleased on our communities.

“We continue to bear the financial burdens of supporting our relatives at home, many of whom are now languishing in IDP camps. Many of us have not been able to visit our communities over these years because of the continuing insecurity in those communities. Therefore, we insist that the House of Representatives hears our petition, despite the Deputy Speaker’s personal misgivings. 

“We view the hostility displayed by Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase to our cause, to be an extension of the general insensitivity that the national leadership has shown about the welfare of our internally displaced brothers and sisters over these many years.  That leaders show such disdain for citizens’ concerns, may be a reason for the raging violence in every part of Nigeria that is fast turning the country into ungovernable territory. The situation could have been different if the leadership had paid attention to citizen’s concerns from the beginning. 

“How on earth will Nigerians feel a sense of justice when a leader like the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives cavalierly shuts down someone who wants to present  grievances about the welfare of nearly a million citizens? When leaders summarily dismiss matters that bother citizens, such citizens are bound to feel that all avenues for legal recourse have been closed on them. That is precisely how to invite anarchy, which is counterproductive to the developmental needs of a country.  

“We want to place on record that if what Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase, the Deputy Speaker, did to MUTA’s petition is not strongly condemned, it would set a precedence that would be repeated on other citizens. We, therefore, call on all Nigerians of conscience to join us in condemning what transpired on the House floor on March 10, 2021, so that those who occupy high offices learn the limits of their arrogance and disdain for citizen concerns,” the group further stated.

Besides, MUTA argued that as an affiliate to Mdzough U Tiv, the Socio-cultural Organisation of the Tiv people, which is properly incorporated with the Corporate Affairs Commission(CAC), it was a legal body that ought to be held by the Lower Chamber.

“We would like to educate the Honorable Deputy Speaker on the value that Nigerians in the Diaspora bring to Nigeria. In 2019, Nigerians residing abroad contributed approximately $23.5 Billion US Dollars to the Nigerian economy in the form of direct business investments and remittances back to their families to help pay for hospital bills, education, and basic amenities like water, energy, food, and security.

“In a normally functioning society, the Nigerian government ought to  have been providing these services, obviating the need for Nigerians abroad to sacrifice their hard earned and sometimes meager salaries.

 “To buttress the significance of the contributions that Nigerians abroad make to the Nigerian economy, it is worth further pointing out that, in 2018, diaspora remittances translated to 83% of the federal budget, and was 11 times the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows.

“ In essence, Nigerians abroad are greatly subsidizing the federal budget yearly. These are the groups of Nigerians that Mr. Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives argues do not have a right to make a petition to the House,” MUTA stressed.