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LABARI STELLA is the chairman of Kaduna State House of Assembly committee on religious matters (Christian Pilgrimage). He spoke to MIDAT B. JOSEPH on his impressions of the government of PRESIDENT UMARU MUSA YAR’ADUA and GOVERNOR NAMADI SAMBO of Kaduna State. Excerpts:

NNS: On May 29 the governments of President Yar’adua and Governor Namadi Sambo of Kaduna State clocked one year in office. What’s is your assessment of both?

Well, so far, so good. In the last one year there has been tremendous growth most especially in the area of transparency in the operations of government. You’ll find out that most people obey rules and the law; due process is being followed in carrying government activities unlike before. There is sanity in governance now because of this anti-corruption campaign. Everybody is careful; nobody wants to be caught in the act. Most civil servants and politicians are conducting themselves in a very good manner. Most especially at the federal level you’ll find out that the president has been trying to see that the country is stable and that we have adequate electricity and fuel. You know, when he took over the mantle of government, there was scarcity of fuel and queues everywhere, but now we don’t have queues anywhere, anymore. And the probe going on in the power sector, definitely shows something good is going to come out because the present administration is ever ready to make this country a great one.

Talking about rule of law and transparency in governance, do you think that President Yar’adua has done well in all these areas. And what do you make of the nullification of the victories of governors in some states in last year’s elections?

Yes, if you look at that area you‘ll find out that he has allowed the courts to decide all cases without interference. He doesn’t interfere in whatever judgment the court delivers. So we can say he has been committed to the development of this country. He has said it publicly that any governor that is found wanting should be picked up. He is trying to remove anything that is preventing the EFCC from carrying out its duties. In the past, you couldn’t arrest any governor, but presently he says they should allow the law to take its course. The judiciary has been allowed to operate independently. That is why they annulled elections and ordered the conduct of fresh ones. So far so good; the president has been carrying the country along.

The Electoral Reform Committee set up by President Yar’adua has commenced sitting to collate opinions on how we can conduct credible elections in the country. What areas do you think they should focus on?

You see, the electoral committee, the electoral act itself, when it’s not being handled by people with good character they will not interpret the law well. You find out that there are some officials that interpret the law up-side down. When you take competent people to that place you will definitely have a good result. They should look at the caliber of people on the electoral reports panel by making sure the right people are put in the right place.

Budgeting has been a problem between the executive and the parliamentary. How can this be sorted out?

You see, the crisis of confidence between the executive and the legislature is just an issue of who controls the votes. The legislators make the laws, the executive executes. And when there is something like budget, when the executives sends the budget to the legislators and they approve it, it is left for the legislators to supervise its implementation. There should be a good working relationship between the executive and the legislature. That is, the executive must allow the legislators to oversee the implementation of the budget to make sure that the money budgeted is spent on what it is proposed for. This is necessary because sometimes after passing the budget, and when the legislature doesn’t supervise, the funds are diverted to other things. And that is why we have problems. So for the two arms of government to work in harmony, there must be a cordial relationship between the executive and the legislature so that they can move the country forward.

You’re the chairman of Kaduna State House of Assembly. What are the challenges facing pilgrimage in the country?

The challenges facing the Christian pilgrimage are many. I headed batch three during the last one and we encountered some problems, but they came from the federal side. The federal government keeps interfering in our plans. They keep on changing dates and some of us suffered because we were not kept in one hotel. They keep changing hotels everyday, and when we complain the Israelis say it is not their fault, it is the fault of the federal government. After the booking they said we should change, they made changes up to three times. What we are saying now is if the federal government cannot handle it they should allow the respective states to make their own arrangements for their own pilgrims. I think that will be better.

Can the states handle pilgrimage matters alone?

Definitely, the states can do it since they have the officials that can go to Jerusalem and arrange for all these things. The only thing the federal government may do is for some of the delegates from the federal level to oversee the activities of a particular state. If we do that it will be easier for us.

There are some people who say Namadi Sambo is slow in action and that he takes orders form some powerful forces in the state. Do you share that view?

No, I don’t think so. There is nothing like that.

Then, what is your assessment of his administration?

He is doing fairly well. With the programmes he has on the ground I can say he is doing well. Consider the issue of generating our own power supply. Earth dams have been planned. Money has been pumped into the water sector. With that I will say Namadi is performing well.