OPARA’S WORTHY ORNAMENTS  

  Austin Uganwa pays tribute to Austin Opara at 60

Today, Tuesday, August 29, 2023, Rt. Hon. Austin Adiele Opara, former deputy speaker, House of Representatives turns 60. At 60, this likable and humble illustrious son of Diobu, the heartbeat of Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital has stridden into the proverbial and sagacious age associated with insight and wisdom. It is, more so, fascinating that Opara has worthy ornaments to showcase, underlining the significance of his 60-year-milestone. Not only that he has over the years manifested himself as a source of inspiration, leading light and pillar of strength to his people, he has made his mark in the nation’s shadowy political landscape. As a congressional presiding officer for four years, he aided considerably in articulating and driving national development trajectories through legislative instruments.

The above affirmation is indeed incontrovertible. For instance, during his four-year-stint as deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, 2003 and 2007,  Opara pursued rare legislative governance that impacted positively on the overall nation building and the development of the Niger-Delta region. He functioned conscientiously as a unifier, stabilizer and consensus builder of the House. As chairman, House Committee of the Whole with the mandate of presiding over clause-by-clause considerations of all bills when he was deputy speaker, he injected live and robustness to the debates on the bills with his wit, candour and the harmonious   approach in moderating the proceedings thereby evoking cohesiveness and colossal legislative accomplishments.  While presiding over the consideration of the Third Term Bill in June, 2006 he provided a rallying point to the House that was clearly torn apart over the intense and acrimonious nature of the bill debate.

He was in the fore-front of the horse-trading and intensification of the legislative process that led to the enactment of the Niger Delta Development Commission Act in 2000. Prior to his election as deputy speaker in 2003, Opara was the  deputy   chairman House Committee on    NDDC and it was  during the Commission’s formative stage in 2001 and 2002.  He was accordingly deeply involved in designing and overseeing, through legislative oversight, the implementation of the institution’s foundational frameworks. Today NDDC constitutes a critical pillar of development for the Niger Delta states and by extension the nation.

 At the International Parliamentary Union conference in Manila, Philippines in 2005, Opara who led the Nigerian House of Representatives delegates to the event lobbied parliamentarians from advanced nations for debt reprieve for Nigeria. He consolidated this with a moving debt moratorium speech at the event which, in no small measure, helped to secure the obligation of the Paris Club to write-off Nigeria’s $18b debt. As a result, a vast number of his Rivers people, admirers, friends, political associates across the country  believe  that Opara’s  60-year on earth is  inherently worthy and in view of that deserves to be celebrated in an amazing and colourful manner . 

Besides, at 60, Opara has been able to manifest intriguing academic sophistication. He bagged a Doctorate Degree in Political Marketing from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt in 2021. Unlike most politicians Opara dedicated his time to intensive studying after leaving his political position in 2007. “The determination to pursue higher knowledge even after holding high political office was undertaken to prepare me for greater challenges in politics and business,” he had stated.  According to him, the driving force is the understanding that the world is now knowledge-based and therefore in order to   add vast value to public and private sectors is a function of knowledge acquisition and deployment.   

However, as a political icon and chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party, he has not relented in embarking on far-reaching pursuits needed to promote democracy and the   stability of PDP. As the Director of Training of PDP Presidential Campaign Organization during the 2023 general elections, he embarked on various training programmes to enhance the proficiency of a wide range of party functionaries   who undertook various tasks in aid of the party’s presidential flag bearer,  Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and other party candidates nationwide.

Opara and other top leaders of the party in Rivers state including: Mr. Celestine Omehia, former governor of the state; Abiye Sekibo, former Minister of Transport; Uche Secondus, former national chairman of the party; Senator Lee Maebe and a host of others worked for the party success in Rivers State.   Opara’s political associates reportedly paid dearly for this move as: Hon. Chinyere Igwe, former member House of Representatives, Jones Ogbonda, former member, Rivers State House of Assembly and Ikechi Chinda, former PDP chairman, Port Harcourt Local Council had their hotel and filling station businesses clamped down by the agents of the state. 

In 2020, Opara supervised the party’s congress held in the 18 local councils of Edo state  which helped to provide a veritable ground for PDP’s eventual takeover of the party from the ruling All Progressives Congress. He has unmistakably shown great degree of commitment, consistency and assiduousness to the party since 1998. He played a major role with other party leaders to establish PDP in his state. 

At 60, Opara’s unassuming nature, openness and cordiality makes him the rallying point of his peers, friends and political associates. These realities account for the large army of supporters, friends and admirers that still mill around years after leaving the political office.  

Dr. Uganwa writes from Abuja