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Tag: assembly

  • Why we visited National Assembly, by students

    Why we visited National Assembly, by students

    Members of Students’ Representative Council (SRC) of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) of Adekunle Ajasin University at Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) in Ondo State have gone on two-day excursion to the Federal Capital Territory.

    During the tour, the students visited the National Assembly in Abuja to observe the Senate and the House of Representatives at work.

    The union Speaker, Joseph Akinkuotu, said the aim of the tour was to expose members of the legislative arm to core legislative business to improve their participation in the union. He said the visit was worthwhile, stressing that it would add values to the SRC members’ intellectualism and enhance their activities.

    Recounting his experience, Femi Adewole, a member from English and Literary Studies Department, said the visit was educative. “I learnt things I was ignorant of in the business of legislature. I learnt how the House of Representatives and the Senate are being run,” he said.

    He said the reception at the National Assembly was pleasant, adding: “When we were led into the Green Chamber, the House of Representatives Speaker recognised us before they started plenary session.”

    The students held an interactive session with lawmakers from Ondo State during the tour. Kolawole Folarin, a member from Sociology Department, said the visit broadened his knowledge in legislation. He urged the management to sustain the excursion and ensure members of the SUG go on such trips to enable them become responsible.

    Joseph praised the management for financing the trip, describing it as rare privilege. He said: “We are grateful to the management for this rare privilege bestow on us and also for believing in us. This visit to the National Assembly would create an enabling atmosphere for students to get exposed to the practice of legislature beyond the campus.”

  • Assembly okays Ambode’s nominees

    Assembly okays Ambode’s nominees

    The Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday confirmed Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s nominees for the Judicial Service Commission and Audit Service Commission.

    Those confirmed for the Judicial Service Commission are AbdulFatai Olawale Oluwole, Mrs. Mojisola Shodipo, Adedayo Adekunle and Rotimi Seriki.

    The confirmed members of the Audit Service Commission are Waliu Onibon, Ositode Moses Dosu, Mrs. Folake Folashade Onabolu, Adekunle Otushemade and Abiodun Oladipupo Aigbe.

    The candidates for the Judicial Service Commission told the lawmakers  they would ensure the commission had well trained personnel, capable of reforming it in line with demands of the state.

    The nominees on the Audit Service Commission assured the lawmakers that efforts would be made to block all loopholes in the treasury and ensure that the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy of the government works effectively.

  • Assembly summons LASTMA chief

    Assembly summons LASTMA chief

    The Lagos State House of Assembly (LAHA) yesterday summoned the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) General Manager Bashir Braimah, to explain the persistent gridlock on Lagos roads.

    It also urged the Commissioner for Transportation Dayo Mobereola to ensure free flow of traffic in the city.

    The call followed a motion moved by Moshood Oshun (Lagos Mainland II) and seconded by Yinka Ogundimu (Agege II) under the matter of urgent public importance.

    It blamed LASTMA for dereliction of duty which, it said, led to the “unbearable’’ gridlock.

    Ogundimu said traffic had become worse because of the negative attitude of most drivers, bad roads and the negligence of LASTMA officers.

    Jude Idimogu (Oshodi-Isolo II) blamed the gridlock on the deliberate action of LASTMA officers while reacting to the call for civility by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

    “Many of the officers will be at the traffic prone areas, standing akimbo and be watching the situation unperturbed,’’ Idimogu said.

    Tunde Braimoh (Kosofe II) alleged that LASTMA officers wanted to revolt against the governor’s gesture because his call had affected their extortions.

    “Now that the governor came up with a modern way of enforcement, what the officers do now contradicts their modus operandi. If there is need to drop all of them and recruit others, we have to do so, they cannot disregard the law of the House and the state,’’ Braimoh said.

    Mrs Funmilayo Tejuosho (Mushin II) agreed that there are some rotten eggs in LASTMA which must be weeded out.

    Mrs Tejuosho alleged that some of the officers extorted people so much that they follow offenders to Automated Teller Machine (ATM) portals to withdraw money for them.

    The Majority Leader, Sanai Agunbiade (Ikorodu 1), said Ambode’s intention in challenging the LASTMA officials to be civil was fair and good.

    “We should call on the Commissioners for Information and Transportation to collaborate to enlighten the public on the real intention of the governor,’’ he said.

    Speaker Mudashiru Obasa agreed that LASTMA is delibrately sabotaging the government.

    Obasa said: “It is not out of place to sack any of them (LASTMA officers)  that is not ready to perform.

    “I wonder why five or 10 LASTMA officers will gather at a junction with traffic and none of them would try to intervene to ease traffic.’’

    He said there was a need to map out plans to expedite action on intermodal transport system.

  • Assembly approves 10 commissioner-nominees

    Assembly approves 10 commissioner-nominees

    Kwara State House of Assembly yesterday approved the names of 10 commissioner-nominees sent by Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed.

    They are Musa Ayinla Yeketi (Asa Local Government), Idris Garba (Baruteen), Otunba Taiwo Joseph (Ekiti), Alhaji Aro Yahaya (Ifelodun), AbdulRasaq Sheu Akorede (Ilorin West), Kamaldeen Ajibade (Ilorin West), Demola Banu (Irepodun), Hajia Funmilayo Oniwa (Moro) and Mahmud Babatunde Ajeigbe (Offa).

    During the deliberation, the Speaker, Dr. Ali Ahmad, hailed the quality of questions, which emanated from the committee members.

    The nominees promised to add value to governance by being efficient.

    The screening, which attracted prominent people, saw nominees answering questions on issues that would enable the government consolidate on its achievements.

    The Assembly approved Governor Ahmed’s requests to access N5billion Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) ECA-secured concessionary loan from Sterling Bank Plc and another N5billion from Guaranty Trust Bank Plc to finance developmental and infrastructural projects.

    The governor in two letters dated October 9 and 19 said the requests were necessitated by the effort of the Federal Government to address fiscal challenges faced by states.

    He said the developmental efforts of the government in implementing its policies and programmes on infrastructural development of the state were challenging, following the paucity of fund occasioned by dwindling federal allocation.

     

     

  • National Assembly and need for budget office

    At the dawn of the 8th National Assembly the cry as usual within our Fourth Republic political discourse beyond the startling false starts over leadership of the federal legislature, was the issue jumbo salaries and allowances of legislators and a need for openness in their finance. Rarely would you notice any call for institutional development or the need for capacity building for greenhorn legislators and other staff of the National Assembly to ensure they are able to effectively perform the task of legislation in a modern democracy.

    As a political scientist with the privilege of working and close association with the National Assembly for close to 8 years now, one is in a position to appropriately situate a major institutional lacuna in the operation of our federal legislature in particular and why the state legislature cannot but approximates mere “rubber stamp assemblies” unsuited to perform any salutary role of check and balances in a democracy in any meaningful sense.

    Let me say at this point that the stimulus for this intervention again (I had on September 20, 2011 written on the same subject under a published piece titled “ Seventh NASS: Budget Office to the Rescue”) was the debate of the Legislative Agenda of the 8th Senate and the contribution of Senator Solomon Adeola representing Lagos West Senatorial District. On the face of it Adeola could be taken for a ranking and experienced legislator having served progressively as a legislator at state and federal legislatures for over 12 year at a stretch. In his contribution, Adeola said among other things that without the full functioning of the National Assembly Budget and Research Office, NABRO, the Senate would be remiss in the performance of their role as the legislative arm of government. He entreated that beyond the function of law making and oversight, a major power of the legislature is the “power of the purse” to allocate funds through Appropriation Bills (Budget) stressing that oftentimes in the past the executive arm of government usually want to circumscribe this power by expecting the Legislature to “just pass budgets” as presented without any modifications or inputs. Adeola said the executive often get away with it using their array of experts in MDAs and an incapacitated legislature working without the institutional backing of NABRO or consultants for Committees.

    I am in complete agreement with him as are many senators on the floor during that debate notable among who are Senators Bayero  Nafada, Duro Faseyi and Binta Magashi both of who were Deputy Speaker and members respectively of the Sixth House of Representatives under Rt. Hon. Dimeji Bankole as Speaker that championed the passage of the NABRO Bill. In course of the passage of the NABRO bill in the House of Representatives, I was part of the House of Representatives delegation of members and senior aides that went to Washington DC to understudy the US Congressional Budget Office, CBO, preparatory to the passage of the NABRO bill. In our democratic set up, NABRO is our equivalent of CBO in USA. According to US Senator Edmund Muskie while reacting to the erosion of US Congress control over budgets over the years in 1974 when the Act of CBO was passed, “The CBO…will provide the Congress with the kind of information and analysis it needs to work on equal footing with the Executive branch”. As we were enlightened on that study tour, the CBO was set up solely to provide facts and figures for the legislature in their scrutiny of Appropriation Bills or any other money bills and subsequently its faithful implementation. Manned by experts from diverse fields, they are continually studying and analyzing socio economic and political indicators and financial implications for any approval or disapproval by the legislature. Incidentally we met a Yoruba Nigerian in the CBO who holds a PhD in economics with specialization in developing economies working in US CBO!

    It is no wonder that armed with relevant data, the US Congressmen and women are able to confront the executive with alternative views and positions that in the end help to ensure success of policies or block anti people policies as well as strengthen democratic practice. Thus it is a delight to watch Congressional hearings in US Congress as both parties- the legislators and officials of the executive match wits with knowledge and relevant information before a consensus is reached on major issues or appropriations. That is not the case in our democracy and that indeed underscore the importance of Senator Adeola’s advocacy that the 8th Senate must work for the immediate proper functioning of NABRO if they are to make any impact in the 8th Senate.

    To the credit of the Sixth Session of the National Assembly, the NABRO bill was passed and indeed NABRO was inaugurated in the last days of that session. On May 26, 2011, in a ceremony to commission the NABRO office, the then Vice President Architect Namadi Sambo stated that the creation of the office  is a bold step in consolidating democracy as well as avenue for the National Assembly to fulfill its constitutional mandates. The then VP went on to say that NABRO which is patterned after US CBO, is important as it promotes transparency and accountability in government through in-depth analyses and review of budget estimates pursuant of passage of appropriation bills. He said the absence of NABRO as an institution to assist the National Assembly is partly responsible for the inefficiency in our budgetary system. One cannot but agree with his conclusion as did Senator Adeola.

    Indeed since that landmark commissioning, the NABRO may have existed on paper alone if we are to judge by its output since the commissioning over 4 years ago. Apparently it may have been short funded over the years of its existence as not to be able to attract relevant qualified experts from all fields. If that is the case then one is of the view that the fixation on the alleged jumbo salaries and allowances of legislators is misplaced. In the real sense of institutional building, the National Assembly may be underfunded if they cannot fund the effective operation of NABRO.

    As it is, it is not late in the day to do something about this institutional lacuna in our budgetary system. Helpfully there are many members of the 6th House of Representatives that are in the Senate in addition to the two aforementioned and other still in the Green Chamber. Indeed, former Senate President David Mark who was the chairman of the National Assembly when NABRO bill was passed is still around as a senator as well as the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji  Salisu Maikasua. So if the 8th Senate is serious about its Legislative Agenda pursuant of serving the people through a budget process that goes beyond what amounts to “rubber stamping” in passing Appropriation Acts, then it must at the shortest time ensure that NABRO is functioning like AMCON and Sovereign Wealth Fund that were passed at about the same time as the NABRO bill. This will be a cognate contribution to the change Nigerians voted for in our on- going democracy.

    • Chief Odunaro was Special Adviser (Communications) to Speaker Dimeji Bankole and now Media Adviser to Sen. Adeola.

  • Amosun names three more Commissioner nominees

    The Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has  submitted three additional Commissioner nominees to the state House of Asembly for screening and approval.

    The names of the nominees were conveyed to the house in a letter dated October 2, 2015  by Amosun, and was read during Tuesday plenary by Speaker Suraju Adekunbi.

    The nominees are Mr. Rotimi Durojaye, Adebola Adeife and Mrs. Nike Osoba, thus bringing the number of nominees sent to the state legislators to 19.

    Adekunbi had last week Wednesday announced the names of 16 Commissioner – nominees earlier sent to the Assembly by the governor.

    The first batch nominees are  Mrs Ronke Sokefun, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, Basorun Muyiwa Oladipo, Arc. Segun Abiodun, Arc. Olamilekan Adegbite, Jide Ojuko, Sunday Segun Bamiwola, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye and Mr Bolaji Oyeleye.

    Others are Barr. Leke Adewolu, Afolabi Afuwape, Gbenga Adenmosun, Chief Kolawole Wasiu Lawal, Otunba Bimbo Asiru,Mrs Yewande Amusan and Olumide Ayeni.

    The 19 nominees according to the Speaker would appear for screening on Wednesday.

  • Assembly workers urged to shun NLC strike

    Cross River State House of Assembly’s Speaker John Gaul Lebo has urged the Assembly’s workers to shun the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) strike and resume work today.

    Lebo said: “The House of Assembly, as an institution, is ahead of the issues raised by Labour. The most critical points by the union with respect to the strike are not arguable issues. They relate to the House of Assembly’s workers’ salaries, which have been paid regularly, at least by the 25th of each month; impress and statutory allowances have been regularly paid.

    “Given the context of the immediate picture analysis, the strike is not the best evacuation corridor to resolve any issue now or in the future. As legislative architects, the House of Assembly workers occupy a special place in the state’s governance machinery.”

  • Family petitions Lagos Assembly over land

    The Orudu family of Ibeju-Lekki has asked the Lagos State House of Assembly to discountenance a protest recently staged on the premises of the assembly by some families over the ownership of some parcels of land in Ibeju-Lekki.

    Writing through their counsel, Chief Yemi Ogundele, the family asked the speaker of the state assembly to, in the alternative, allow the law to take its course in the matter.

    In their petition dated September 18, and addressed to the Speaker of the Assembly, Hon. Obasa, the Orudu family accused the protesters and their leaders of mounting a campaign of calumny against them.

    They contended that the protest, which they claimed was led by parties in matters pending in the court, was contemptous of the court processes as   issues raised by the protesters are subject matter in two suits pending before two high courts in the state.

    The family, which claimed to be the original and traditional owners of Orudu villages including Ayeteju, Ofiran, Oke Olokun, Igando Orudu and Alakun, said the land matter is the subject in  Suit No LD/368LM/2015 between Alhaji Sikiru Yusuf and others versus Mr. Theophilius Oyafunke and 23 others before Justice Abisoye Bashua of High Court 2, Epe.

    They also said a chieftaincy matter in suit No ID/1928/2011 between Chief Waheed Arepo and 24 others and Onibeju of Ibeju, Oba Rafiu Salami and five others is still pending before Justice Hakeem Oshodi of Lagos.

    Prior to the protest at the assembly complex, the protesters alleged that the other parties in the suit before the court had earlier used the police to arrest them for armed robbery, including a 90-year-old matriach of the family, Alhaja (chief) Basiratu Balogun.

    They claimed that the other party, using an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sola Akinyede, who wrongly briefed the Assitant Inspector General (AIG) Joseph Mbu on the true situation of the matter.

    They said the charges brought against 22 members of the Orudu families were later struck out following the advice of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) as “no prima facie”  case could be established against them for illegal possession of fire arms.

    They stated that from time immemorial, the villages of Ayeteju, Ofiran, Oke Olokun, Igando Orudu and Alakun were founded by their progenitor,  Madam Orudu, a powerful slave trader and farmer about 300 years ago.

    According to their account, Madam Orudu migrated from Epe towards Ibeju of the present day following salt scarcity in Epe.

    While migrating and because she was powerful, they claimed she put a slave in charge of her farms.

    “The slave in-charge of Ayeteju was Oyafunke, Ilari-Ogun Ajia was the slave in-charge of Ofiran, while Alimi was in-charge of Oke-Olokun.

    “It is now an irony that because the true owners of the land, the Orudu family, are legally protesting the indiscriminate sales of their land by impostors and descendants of these slaves, they now decide to malign the character of the owners,” the petition stated.

    To support their claim, they referred the Assembly to the ‘Intelligence Report in Ibeju Area in Epe District of the colony’ as  reported in file no 29664-S3 and a report on the administrative re-organisation of the Ibeju clan in Epe district of the colony as reported by. E.J. Gibbons.

    “The pertinent question is, why are they afraid of the court actions if they are sure of their holdings? Why not wait for the court to decide?,” they asked.

    The Orudu family contended however, that no amount of police intimidation or blackmail will make them surrender their heritage to impostors.

     

  • Assembly gets Ambode’s commissioner-nominees

    Assembly gets Ambode’s commissioner-nominees

    •Six ex-exco members, three ex-lawmakers make list

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday presented the list of would-be executive council members to the House of Assembly for screening.

    The governor’s list, made up of top technocrats, politicians and strategists, was read at plenary yesterday by the Clerk of the House, Ganiyu Abiru.

    There were 36 names, made up of 23 commissioners and 13 special advisers.

    Included are six former executive council members from the Babatunde Fashola administration and three  lawmakers in the Seventh Assembly.

    Some of the nominees include Ganiyu Okanlomo Sanni, Lola Akande, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, Adebimpe Akinsola, Agboola Dabiri and Mrs. Yetunde Onabule.

    Others are Kehinde Joseph, Femi Onanuga, Dr. Mustapha Akinkunmi, Ganiyu Johnson and Gbolahan Lawal.

    Also nominated were Steve Ayorinde, Dr. Jide Idris, Dayo Mobereola, Seye Oladejo, Kehinde Bamigbetan and Babatunde Humpe.

    We also have Wasiu Anifowoshe, Benson Akinlola, Femi Odebiyi, Femi Onanuga, Fela Bank-Olemo and Benjamin Labinjo.

    The governor also proposed Tunde Durosinmi-Etti, Toyin Suarat and Abdulateef Abdulakeem.

    The six former executive council members are former commissioner for Agriculture, Gbolahan Lawal, former Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, former Special Adviser, Central Business District, Folarin Coker, former Special Adviser Commerce and Industry, Seye Oladejo, former Special Adviser Works and Infrastructure, Ganiyu Johnson and former Special Adviser Rural Development, Babatunde Hunpe.

    The governor named a relatively young exco with the likes of Mrs. Yetunde Onabolu, Fela Bank-Olemoh, Akinyemi Ashade, a partner in KPMG, former Managing Director, National Mirror, Steve Ayorinde, Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, a pharmacist, Kehinde Joseph and Prof. Ademola Abass, a professor of Law, whose ages range between 39 and 47 years.

    Others include Akintola Benson, former Special Adviser Political and Legislative Powers Bureau, Abdul-Hakeem Abdul-Lateef, Mohammed Akinkunmi, former member, House of Representatives, Babatunde Adejare, Femi Onanuga,  Dayo Mobereola, Ade Akinsanya, Wasiu Anifowoshe, former member of the House of Assembly, Mrs. Lola Akande, Agboola Dabiri, Ganiu Okanlomo Sanni, Anofi Elegushi, Rotimi Ogunleye, Mrs. Adebimpe Akinsola, Femi Odubiyi, Musiliu Folami, Adeniji Kazeem, Adeyemi Labinjo, Toyin Suarau, Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, Deji Tinubu, Mrs. Mudirat Giwanson and former Chairman, Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, Kehinde Bamigbetan and Wale Oluwo.

    The screening is expected to begin after the Sallah holidays.

    Ambode also submitted the names of Kabir Ahmed Abdullah as the Executive Secretary of the Water Regulatory Commission and Fuad Alade Oki as the director-general and chief executive officer of the State Safety Commission for confirmation.

     

  • We’re not party to rally with National Assembly

    The Joe Ajaero-led faction of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has distanced itself from the planned anti-corruption protest in collaboration with the National Assembly, which already has the nod of the Ayuba Wabba-led faction.

    The Ajaero group, which faulted the planned protest, said among others, that for  workers, the most pressing issue was the unpaid salaries and allowances as well as pension arrears of pensioners by state governments and some federal agencies.

    Comrade Ajaero, who spoke with The Nation in Lagos, during the weekend, was reacting to a report credited to Wabba that the NLC would collaborate with members of the House of Representatives over its planned anti-corruption protest in support of President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war slated for September 10.

    But Ajaero said in the spirit of the reconciliation  anchored by Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and NLC veterans led by Alhaji Hassan Sumonu, both parties ought to have met to iron out certain fundamental issues and do some in-house cleansing before taking such action.

    He said while the labour movement supports the on-going war against corruption, it would amount to hypocrisy to work with the legislators who had refused to reduce their outrageous pay and allowances in line with the mood of the nation.

    “To collaborate with the National Assembly to protest against corruption when they have not allowed their salaries to fall in line with the minimum wage is wrong. If we do that, that is hypocrisy at its highest level. I am saying this without mincing words, the NLC two factions can still meet and agree on a date to protest in support of anti corruption moves of President Buhari but not to be hypocritical about it,” he said.

    He further pointed out that before this could be done, there is need for the NLC to cleanse its house making sure that the allegations over the Kriston-Lally Housing issue, the labour city transport issue, and the NLC election, among others, are sorted out. “He that goes to equity must do so with clean hands,” the labour unionist insisted.

    Ajaero explained that part of the issues that Governor Oshiomhole and others looked into and which the labour movement agreed to was the need to respect the ethics of the movement, its rule of law and procedures in handling issues. “If we have not gone into all these ones and we want to play to the gallery that we are protesting in support of the anti-graft war, I think the public will mock us and that is not the kind of NLC some of us want to see,” he said.

    He further said that the Wabba faction did not consult his group before taking decisions in the spirit of reconciliation. did not consult with his group us. “No party was supposed to fix a date to take an action without the two factions rubbing minds. But if one party goes out and takes a decision, it may be a good decision, but that may not be in line with the ideals of the other faction. We just read it in the papers and definitely we have to respond to it that we are not a party to a rally with the National Assembly,” he said.

    Ajaero insisted that he has never seen where this collaboration worked before especially when NLC is planning to picket the National Assembly on the jumbo pay.

    “At what point did we drop that idea of picketing the National Assembly over furniture and wardrobe allowances and when workers salaries have not been paid,” he added.

     

    While insisting that such collaboration cannot stand, he said it was based on deceit rather than on the ideals of labour. “The nature of the reconciliation and the committee that was set up is not such that removes the powers from the factions. Factions are still independent until the committee decides on the framework to operate with.

    “That is why they are free to make those comments and we are free to make the comments we are making. But ordinarily, if we are to go with the spirit of the reconciliation, we should have rubbed minds and by now all these fears would have been factored in,” he told The Nation.

    Asked the way forward, Ajaero said: “One thing we have all accepted is the need for a united and strong NLC. That one is clear.” Waxing philosophical, he added that, “In the choice of leaders of NLC, apart from the strength of the union, the brain of the individuals comes in.

    “A man may be leading a union with less than 20 members, but he is one of the best brains, you can’t do without him. The man may not be too intelligent, but he leads a union that when they cough, the country catches cold, you look for him.”

    He, however, said there is need for the two groups to accept where they started getting it wrong. He said, for instance, that when the late Musa Yar’ Adua came into power, he admitted that the election that brought him in was grossly faulty, but that didn’t stop him from performing as president. “But you rigged the election and you say you want to rule with impunity, then good luck. But I know that when we are together we will be stronger,” he said.