27th May, 2017
Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara on Saturday bagged the title Ome Udo 1 (Peace Maker) of Aba at the palace of the traditional ruler of Aba Ancient Kingdom, Eze Isaac Ikonne.
Ikonne said during the installation ceremony that he awarded Dogara the title in recognition of his integrity and leadership qualities which, he noted, had kept the House from recording any serious crisis in the past two years.
He said that the speaker’s efforts at engendering peace, unity and development in the lower chamber of the National Assembly was a commendable achievement.
The traditional ruler applauded the speaker for supporting President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade.
He also appealed to him to ensure that the people of Aba enjoyed the dividends of democracy through the efforts and initiatives of Mr Ossy Prestige, representing Aba North and South at the House of Representatives.
While appealing to the speaker to ensure the rehabilitation of roads in the South-East Zone, Ikonne also stressed the need to assist traditional institutions across the country to serve the people better.
Responding, Dogara thanked the royal father for his kind gesture, saying that respect to traditional institutions was imperative as their blessings were needed to ensure progress in the society.
He said that traditional institutions had a lot to offer in building peace and unity among the diverse ethnic groups in the country.
The speaker said that members of the lower chamber were in Aba to celebrate with Prestige on his second year in the House, and to commission federal projects that he had attracted to the area.
Dogara described Prestige as a representative with integrity and urged the royal father and Aba people in general to support him in order to give them quality service.