By Dennis Agbo

Incumbent and former lawmakers in Nigeria have urged former legislators in Nigeria to ensure that they guard democracy to ensure that it does not derail from its original philosophy and practices.

They gave the charge when former lawmakers in Nigeria floated an organization, Nigeria Former Legislators Forum, NFLF, to help contribute to national discourse and development of the country.

Among the former lawmakers present at the median summit held at the International Conference Center Enugu, on Saturday, were Former Presidents of the Senate, Anyim Pius Anyim and Senator Ken Nnamani.

Also on attendance were former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogora; former Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha, Senators Stella Odua, Rochas Okorocha, among many other Former members of the National Assembly, State Assemblies and for local government councillors.

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu was the convener of the summit and coordinated by Hon Uko Nkole who represented Ohafia/AroChukwu federal consistency of Abia state.

The summit resolved the it will server as a resource bank to the National Assembly and can be harnessed for policy direction.

It agreed to serve as a forum for leveraging on their experiences to help move the Nation forward, while it expressed support for President Bola Tinubu and urged him to remain steadfast in national development.

In his speech, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu said that in the United States of America the Association of Former Members of Congress (FMC), is a self-funded organization that leverages the expertise of over 800 former legislators for bipartisan initiatives like Congress to Campus, engendering civic education, legislative diplomacy, and legislative exchanges with allied nations.

Kalu who said that even though he is not yet a former lawmakers, he was aware that one day he would become one and advised the members of the forum that beyond pension, the forum must champion the holistic welfare of its members, supporting one another politically, socially, and economically.

“Former legislators are reservoirs of insight, not relics. The NFLF must establish a Knowledge Bureau to document legislative best practices and launch Congressional Study Groups on critical issues like the economy, security, foreign policy, and trade. Let us partner with universities, as the U.S. does, deploying former members as ambassadors for civic literacy on campuses and in communities,” Kalu advised.

Former Speaker, Yakubu Dogora in his keynote speech explained the role of former legislators in safeguarding democracy, stating that as former legislators, they were not only national leaders, but have acquired training and mentorship that must not be allowed to rot.

According to Dogara, “As former legislators, we can play vital roles in deepening our democracy by Promoting Democratic Values, advocating for accountability, transparency, and inclusivity in government.

“Building Networks and Alliances, Collaborating with civil society, government institutions, and international partners to drive social change and national progress. We can deploy our experiences and God-given talents in building strong networks and alliances as we are doing now, which are crucial for effective collaboration and achieving common goals.

“This can easily be done since we are partners and allies who subscribe to common values and set goals. We must be reliable, consistent, open minded and must show more than passing interest in the perspectives of all of us in the loop.”