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We need a rejig of value system, says Ikuforiji

It is a long story; an ordeal of protracted trial spanning 12 and half years.

Things were going well for him as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly. His vision of developing a parliament that would defend democracy, rule of law and remain a model in the country was being fulfilled. The lawmakers were in one accord under his leadership. There was no adversary; there was no misfortune.

Suddenly, Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji ran into turbulence. An anonymous person had written a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleging money laundering. He landed in the net of the anti-graft body. The trial was on for almost 13 years until he was discharged and acquitted by a High Court in Lagos.

Reflecting on his ordeal, the politician from Epe could not confirm whether it was politically or socially motivated. Perhaps, it could be both. But, he lamented that Nigerians hardly see any positive thing about their leaders, but negative things. Thus, he said there is need for a change of orientation. “I am calling for a new orientation and reevaluation of our value system,” he told reporters in Lagos.

Life has been full of ups and downs for Ikuforiji. Elected into the House of Assembly in 2003, he was re-elected in 2007 and 2011. The third time, he moved his constituency from Epe to Ikeja and still won. Then, he plunged into the governorship race, where he was defeated by Akinwunmi Ambode, who later served as governor.

After the poll, he was left in the cold. In fact, the trial which had commenced when he was still speaker, distracted his attention. It was a protracted litigation and the cost was huge. So was the psychological torture and the perception it generated in the public. But, he had to brace the odds.

For the next 12 years, although he was not off the radar, he did not participate in electoral politics. The lifespan of the case was elongated by Covid 19, which ravaged humanity for two years. The case taught him some lessons. It was also an eye opener. As he had cause to hold sessions with his lawyers before going to court, he fell in love with the study of law. As the trial proceeded, he started studying law at the University of Lagos, Akoka. Six years ago, he was called to the bar.

Exuding happiness about the clean bill of health given to him, Ikuforiji said he has an unusual sense of relief in the last 48 hours, thanking God for surviving the legal hardship. Noting that the protracted litigation unleashed a measure of psychological torture, he said”it was a harrowing experience.”

Yet, with malice to none, the former speaker said he accepted his fate with understanding and philosophical calmness. “I am a believer . Honestly, I accept what the Almighty God decrees,” he added.

Reminiscing on the genesis of the case, Ikuforiji narrated a story that evoked both sympathy and empathy. He said: “For 10 of 12 years that I was in the House of Assembly, I was speaker. It was a peaceful House. Lagos had peace. The House of Assembly was the most peaceful and people came from far and near, even from United States, Britain and other countries to witness the progress made.

“We made progressive laws and the National Assembly came to learn from us, especially when we passed the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill. I was speaker for 10 years. I was persecuted for 12 and half years over wrongful allegations. I suffered unnecessarily for an unknown offence.

“A faceless petitioner wrote a petition to the EFCC that Lagos State House of Assembly armtwisted the governor to pay N500 million monthly to the House of Assembly and the speaker embezzled N7 billion. It meant that I made away with the money for 14 months. I embezzled N7 billion out of N7bilion.

“I was on the way to Umurah when the EFCC Head of Operations asked me to report. I said I will report after coming back. I went to the EFCC office and spent the weekend there. I was shown the petition. No address. No telephone number. I wrote a statement. EFCC asked to the numbers of the principal officers of the House of Assembly. I said no, everything stopped at my table and if you find anything wrong, hold me responsible.”

Ikuforiji recalled that EFCC operators later stormed the House of Assembly to comb the book for over three months, adding that the official who led the operation described the books as the neatest of all the books in the Houses of Assembly.

Read Also: CBN insists on enforcement of stringent criteria for bank recapitalisation

However, the official observed that the transactions were cash-based. “It was termed money laundering,” he lamented.

The former speaker said the EFCC never quarreled about the judicious use of the money. Soon, detractors, as he put it, incited a section of the media against him to vilify him and mobilise public opinion to his disfavour. “But, I am vindicated by the judgment,” he said.

The bright side of the long years of anxiety is that Ikuforiji developed another pastime. He said: “Now, I am a barrister-at-law. This case pushed me into reading law. If this trouble was not thrown upon me, I will not be a lawyer today.”

When he was in law school, one of his lecturers teaching Criminal Law, alluded into his case with the EFCC. Ikuforiji said attention focused on him. The teacher did not do it out of bile. She never knew Ikuforiji. But, when she now realized that he was part of her class, he gave him an opportunity to explain his own side of the story. There was complete silence in a law of about 1,500 students. To all the points he mad, they nodded affirmatively.

Ikuforiji thanked his wife, Mayowa, a Christian, who he described as a prayer warrior, other family members and members of the House of Assembly who usually accompanied him to the court and supported him throughout the trial. He also thanked his political leaders spiritual fathers who prayed ceaselessly for his triumph over adversity.

On the day the judge delivered his judgment, he never expected it. On a light note, he told his lawyer that if he had sighted a black maria outside the court, may be, he would have developed a cold feet and run away. The lawyer said he would have not allowed him to go; he would have persuaded him to embrace any fate that awaited him because if they do not see him, they would hold him instead, being his guarantor.

Thanking God for his survival, Ikuforiji said: “Today, I am a freeman. June 24 is my second birthday. It is the day of my independence.”

June 27, 2024
UPDATED: Court acquits ex-Lagos speaker Ikuforiji, aide of money laundering charge

Justice Mohammed Liman of a Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday, June 24, acquitted a former speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, and his former aide, Oyebode Atoyebi, of 54-count of money laundering.

Justice Mohammed Liman held that the prosecution failed to discharge the burden of proof placed on it by the provisions of the law.

Ikuforiji was charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside Atoyebi on a 54-count charge bordering on alleged N338.8 million money laundering.

They had each pleaded not guilty and were allowed to continue on an earlier bail granted to them in 2012 when they were first arraigned.

On March 17, 2021, the EFCC closed its case after calling the second witness for the prosecution.

The prosecution called a total of two witnesses in support of its case.

Meanwhile, Justice Liman was later transferred out of the Lagos division and the case suffered several setbacks.

On May 4, 2023, defence counsel, Dele Adesina (SAN), had opened the case for the defence.

The defence had called three witnesses, including the first defendant (Ikuforiji).

Among others, Ikuforiji had testified how he was being prosecuted on a faceless petition.

He had told the court that the instant case arose from a petition written by an unknown person, alleging that he had stolen about N7 billion from the Lagos House of Assembly.

Parties adopted their final addresses on May 17, while the court reserved judgment.

Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Liman first struck out count one of the charges, on grounds of discrepancies in the timeline.

The court then asked a pertinent question as to what was the substantive law at the time the defendant was charged.

The court held: “Charging a person under a law that was non-existent at the time of an alleged offence runs foul of the law.

“The Money Laundering Prohibition Act of 2004/2011 requires clear evidence of intent and the actual act of laundering money.

“It is difficult to prove the offence of money laundering without the predicate offence; the prosecution has failed to prove this.

“The prosecution has not proved the offence of money laundering beyond a reasonable doubt.

“Consequently, the defendants are acquitted of all the allegations of money laundering levelled against them in courts two to 54 of the charge,” he said

The defendants were first arraigned on March 1, 2012, before Justice Okechukwu Okeke on a 20-count charge bordering on misappropriation and money laundering.

They had each pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bail.

The defendants were, however, subsequently re-arraigned before Justice Ibrahim Buba, following a re-assignment of the case.

Buba had granted them bail in the sum of N500 million each with sureties in like sun

On Sept. 26, 2014, Justice Buba discharged Ikuforiji and his aide of the charges, after upholding a no-case submission of the defendants.

Buba had held that the EFCC failed to establish a prima facie case against them.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, the EFCC through its counsel, Mr Godwin Obla (SAN), filed the Notice of Appeal dated Sept. 30, 2014, challenging the decision of the trial court.

Obla had argued that the trial court erred in law when it held that the counts were incompetent because they were filed under Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 which was repealed by an Act of 2011.

EFCC further argued that the lower court erred in law when it held that the provisions of Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 and 2011, only applied to natural persons and corporate bodies other than the Government.

The commission had also submitted that the trial judge erred in law when he held and concluded that the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses supported the innocence of the respondents.

In its judgment, the Lagos Division of the Appeal Court, in November 2016, agreed with the prosecution and ordered a fresh trial of the defendants before another judge.

Following the decision of the Appeal Court, the defendants headed for the Supreme Court, seeking to upturn the ruling of the Appellate court.

Read Also: BREAKING: Court acquits ex-Lagos Speaker Ikuforiji, aide of money laundering charge

Again, in its verdict, the apex court also upheld the decision of the appellate court and ordered that the case be sent back to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment to another judge.

According to the charge, EFCC alleged that the defendants accepted cash payments above the threshold set by the Money Laundering Act, without going through a financial institution.

The commission accused the defendants of conspiring to commit an illegal act of accepting cash payments in the aggregate sum of N338.8 million from the House of Assembly without going through a financial institution.

Ikuforiji was also accused of using his position to misappropriate funds belonging to the Assembly.

The EFCC said that the defendants committed the offences between April 2010 and July 2011.

The offences, according to the EFCC, contravene the provisions of Sections 15 (1d), 16(1d) and 18 of the Money Laundering Act, 2004 and 2011

June 24, 2024
BREAKING: Court acquits ex-Lagos Speaker Ikuforiji, aide of money laundering charge

A Federal High Court in Lagos has discharged and acquitted ex-Lagos speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji of a 54-count money laundering charge.

Ikuforiji was discharged alongside his former personal assistant, Oyebode Atoyebi.

Read Also: Trial of former Lagos speaker Ikuforiji, stalled

The defendants were first arraigned on March 1, 2012, before Justice Okechukwu Okeke on a 20-count charge bordering on misappropriation and money laundering of an alleged N338.8 million money laundering.

Details shortly…

June 24, 2024
Trial of former Lagos speaker Ikuforiji, stalled

The trial of a former speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, over money laundering was on Monday, stalled because Justice Mohammed Liman of the Federal High Court did not sit.

The case which was first fixed for continuation of trial on Nov. 15, could not proceed at the last adjourned date as the court did not sit and it was consequently, fixed for Nov. 20.

On Monday, the case also could not proceed as the court did not sit following a letter by defence counsel, seeking an adjournent of the case to a more convenient date.

A new date is however, yet to be communicated to parties.

Justice Liman who presides over the case, had been transferred out of the Lagos division but still comes from his division to preside over the case following a fiat.

Ikuforiji is charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside his former Personal Assistant, Oyebode Atoyebi.

They are being tried before on a 54 counts charge bordering on alleged N338.8 million money laundering.

They had each pleaded not guilty and were allowed to continue on an earlier bail granted to them in 2012 when they were first arraigned.

On March 17, 2021, the EFCC had closed its case after calling the second witness for the prosecution.

Prosecution called a total of two witnesses in support of its case.

Meanwhile, Justice Liman was later transferred out of the Lagos division and the case suffered several set backs.

On May 4, (this year) defence counsel Mr Dele Adesina SAN, opened the case for the defence and had began calling witnesses.

Read Also: G20 Summit: Again, Tinubu entices foreign investors with juicy business environment in Nigeria

Defence called three witnesses, including the first defendant (Ikuforiji).

Among others, Ikuforiji had testified how he was being prosecuted on a faceless petition.

He had told the court that the instant case arose from a petition written by an unknown person, alleging that he had stolen about N7billion from the Lagos House of Assembly.

The matter was consequently, fixed for adoption of written addresses

The case will now continue on the next adjourned date

The defendants were first arraigned on March 1, 2012 before Justice Okechukwu Okeke on a 20-counts charge bordering on misappropriation and money laundering.

They had each pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bails.

The defendants were, however, subsequently re-arraigned before Justice Ibrahim Buba, following a re-assignment of the case.

Buba had granted them bail in the sum of N500 million each with sureties in like sun

On Sept. 26, 2014, Justice Buba discharged Ikuforiji and his aide of the charges, after upholding a no case submission of the defendants.

Buba had held that the EFCC failed to establish a prima-facie case against them.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, the EFCC through its counsel, Mr Godwin Obla (SAN), filed the Notice of Appeal dated Sept. 30, 2014 challenging the decision of the trial court.

Obla had argued that the trial court erred in law when it held that the counts were incompetent because they were filed under Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 which was repealed by an Act of 2011.

EFCC further argued that the lower court erred in law when it held that the provisions of Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 and 2011, only applied to natural persons and corporate bodies other than the Government.

The commission had also submitted that the trial judge erred in law when he held and concluded that the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses supported the innocence of the respondents.

In its judgement, the Lagos Division of the Appeal Court, in November 2016, agreed with the prosecution and ordered a fresh trial of the defendants before another judge.

Following the decision of the Appeal Court, the defendants headed for the Supreme Court, seeking to upturn the ruling of the Appellate court.

Again, in its verdict, the apex court also upheld the decision of the appellate court and ordered that the case be sent back to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment to another judge.

According to the charge, EFCC alleged that the defendants accepted cash payments above the threshold set by the Money Laundering Act, without going through a financial institution.

The commission accused the defendants of conspiring to commit an illegal act of accepting cash payments in the aggregate sum of N338.8 million from the House of Assembly without going through a financial institution.

Ikuforiji was also accused of using his position to misappropriate funds belonging to the Assembly.

The EFCC said that the defendants committed the offences between April 2010 and July 2011.

The offences, according to the EFCC, contravenes the provisions of Sections 15 (1d), 16(1d) and 18 of Money Laundering Act, 2004 and 2011.

(NAN)

November 20, 2023
Trial of former Lagos speaker Ikuforiji, stalled

The trial of a former speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, over money laundering was on Monday, stalled because Justice Mohammed Liman of the Federal High Court did not sit.

The case which was first fixed for continuation of trial on Nov. 15, could not proceed at the last adjourned date as the court did not sit and it was consequently, fixed for Nov. 20.

On Monday, the case also could not proceed as the court did not sit following a letter by defence counsel, seeking an adjournent of the case to a more convenient date.

A new date is however, yet to be communicated to parties.

Justice Liman who presides over the case, had been transferred out of the Lagos division but still comes from his division to preside over the case following a fiat.

Ikuforiji is charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside his former Personal Assistant, Oyebode Atoyebi.

They are being tried before on a 54 counts charge bordering on alleged N338.8 million money laundering.

They had each pleaded not guilty and were allowed to continue on an earlier bail granted to them in 2012 when they were first arraigned.

On March 17, 2021, the EFCC had closed its case after calling the second witness for the prosecution.

Prosecution called a total of two witnesses in support of its case.

Meanwhile, Justice Liman was later transferred out of the Lagos division and the case suffered several set backs.

On May 4, (this year) defence counsel Mr Dele Adesina SAN, opened the case for the defence and had began calling witnesses.

Defence called three witnesses, including the first defendant (Ikuforiji).

Among others, Ikuforiji had testified how he was being prosecuted on a faceless petition.

He had told the court that the instant case arose from a petition written by an unknown person, alleging that he had stolen about N7billion from the Lagos House of Assembly.

The matter was consequently, fixed for adoption of written addresses

The case will now continue on the next adjourned date

The defendants were first arraigned on March 1, 2012 before Justice Okechukwu Okeke on a 20-counts charge bordering on misappropriation and money laundering.

They had each pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bails.

The defendants were, however, subsequently re-arraigned before Justice Ibrahim Buba, following a re-assignment of the case.

Buba had granted them bail in the sum of N500 million each with sureties in like sun

On Sept. 26, 2014, Justice Buba discharged Ikuforiji and his aide of the charges, after upholding a no case submission of the defendants.

Buba had held that the EFCC failed to establish a prima-facie case against them.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, the EFCC through its counsel, Mr Godwin Obla (SAN), filed the Notice of Appeal dated Sept. 30, 2014 challenging the decision of the trial court.

Obla had argued that the trial court erred in law when it held that the counts were incompetent because they were filed under Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 which was repealed by an Act of 2011.

EFCC further argued that the lower court erred in law when it held that the provisions of Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 and 2011, only applied to natural persons and corporate bodies other than the Government.

The commission had also submitted that the trial judge erred in law when he held and concluded that the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses supported the innocence of the respondents.

In its judgement, the Lagos Division of the Appeal Court, in November 2016, agreed with the prosecution and ordered a fresh trial of the defendants before another judge.

Following the decision of the Appeal Court, the defendants headed for the Supreme Court, seeking to upturn the ruling of the Appellate court.

Read Also: Trial of ex-Lagos Speaker Ikuforiji to resume today

Again, in its verdict, the apex court also upheld the decision of the appellate court and ordered that the case be sent back to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment to another judge.

According to the charge, EFCC alleged that the defendants accepted cash payments above the threshold set by the Money Laundering Act, without going through a financial institution.

The commission accused the defendants of conspiring to commit an illegal act of accepting cash payments in the aggregate sum of N338.8 million from the House of Assembly without going through a financial institution.

Ikuforiji was also accused of using his position to misappropriate funds belonging to the Assembly.

The EFCC said that the defendants committed the offences between April 2010 and July 2011.

The offences, according to the EFCC, contravenes the provisions of Sections 15 (1d), 16(1d) and 18 of Money Laundering Act, 2004 and 2011. (NAN)

November 20, 2023
Ikuforiji to be installed Aare Musulumi of Epe

Eminent Nigerians will on March 25, converge on Epe, Lagos State, for the installation of former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Yemi Ikuforiji, as the ‘Aare Musulumi of Epe’.

The turbaning, which will be directed by the Chief Imam, will hold at the Epe Central Mosque.

A statement by Ikuforiji said the event will cement the harmonious relationship among the Muslim communities in Epe Division.

He added that the ceremony will attract positive attention to the great work which Governor Akinwunmi Ambode is doing in the division, and visitors will explore its tourism potentials.

Ikuforiji said: “I will be hosting, not only the Muslim community, but also guests from every part of the country. We will be able to give a good account of ourselves, reflecting the love, kindness and hospitality of our people.”

March 21, 2018
Alleged N388m fraud: Supreme Court orders retrial of ex-Lagos Speaker Ikuforiji, aide

The Supreme Court has ordered the retrial of a former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji.

Ikuforiji and his ex-aide, Oyebode Atoyebi, were charged with money laundering offences involving N338m before the Federal High Court in Lagos.

The case was prosecuted on behalf of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by Godwin Obla (SAN), with the trial judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba, freeing the defendants.

The Court of Appeal in Lagos set aside Justice Buba’s decision and ordered their retrial, a decision Ikuforiji and Atoyebi appealed separately to the Supreme Court.

In a unanimous judgment yesterday in the appeal by Ikuforiji, a five-man panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice Mary Peter-Odilli, ordered a retrial of the case before another judge of the Federal High Court, other than Justice Ibrahim Buba, who had exonerated Ikuforiji and his co-accused.

The Supreme Court had in December last year, made similar orders of retrial and re-assignment of the case to another judge in its judgment in the appeal filed by Atoyebi.

Justice Ejembi Eko, who read the lead judgment, affirmed the earlier judgment of the Court of Appeal, which had set aside the acquittal handed to Ikuforiji and Atoyebi by Justice Buba.

Justice Eko ordered that the trial should start de novo (afresh) before another judge of the Federal High Court to whom the case should be re-assigned.

He said, “Charges were amended and increased to a total of 54. Charges related to acceptance of various cash payments from Lagos State House of Assembly without going through financial institution which under the Money Laundering. (Prohibition) Act are each criminal offences.

“I considered all the issues and found no merit in the appeal. I dismiss the appeal in its entirety.

“The decision of the Court of Appeal delivered on November 26, 2014 and the orders made therein are affirmed and I order that the case be re-assigned to a judge of the Federal High Court other than Buba J. for expeditious hearing and determination de novo.”

Justice Buba, who is of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court, had in a ruling in September 2014, held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission failed to establish a prima facie case against Ikuforiji and Atoyebi and dismissed the 56 counts against them.

Dissatisfied with the Federal High Court’s judgment, the EFCC appealed to the Court of Appeal, Lagos, which, in November 2016, overturned Justice Buba’s verdict and ordered that Ikuforiji and his former aide be tried afresh before another judge.

But both Ikuforiji and Atoyebi had filed separate appeals against the Court of Appeal’s decision and went to the Supreme Court in 2016.

The EFCC had contended that Justice Buba erred in law when he pronounced that the charges against Ikuforiji and Atoyebi were incompetent because they were brought under the Money Laundering Act 2004, said to have been repealed by the Money Laundering Act 2011.

The EFCC prosecutor, Chief Godwin Obla (SAN), who had handled the case up to the Court of Appeal level, had in one of the 10 grounds of the appeal contended that the Federal High Court was wrong to have concluded that Section 1 of the MLA applied only to natural persons and corporate bodies and not to government entities like the Office of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

January 13, 2018
Ikuforiji rejoices with Nigerians

The immediate past Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, has enjoined all Muslims and other Nigerians to give thanks to the Almighty Allah for seeing them through this year’s Ramadan Fast.

Ikuforiji said:”The Almighty Allah deserves our thanks and praises for seeing us through the just-ended Ramadan fast. As believers, we must cultivate the habit of praising the Almighty Allah for His mercies and protection over our lives at all times. Notwithstanding whatever challenges that we may be going through now, the praises of the Almighty Allah must never depart from our mouths. And when we do that, He will surely continue to bless us.”

The former Speaker stated this in his Sallah message to Muslims and Nigerians generally.

He said: ” In addition to our praising Almighty Allah at all times, we must also make it a policy to always reach out to the less-privileged in our society so that we can touch their lives positively and give them hope. And by so doing, we as believers will keep drawing more souls to worship the Almighty Allah .”

He admonished Muslims to remain faithful to the ideals of Ramadan fasting and not let the lessons learnt during the period to pass away.

He said:“One other reason that we must all keep praising the Almighty Allah is the peaceful outcome of the recently-held general elections. Despite the predictions from far and wide that our nation, Nigeria, would not survive that elections, it is gratifying that the Almighty Allah took absolute control and made sure that the elections went on smoothly without any hitch.

” And as we can see already, things have started taking shape for the better again in our country. At the federal government level, our incorruptible President Muhammadu Buhari has started positively putting things right already, while Lagos State has also started soaring higher under the able leadership of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.”

July 18, 2015
Ikuforiji hails Ambode’s victory

Former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly Adeyemi Ikuforiji has described the victory of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode at the Governorship Election Tribunal in Ikeja as “a vindication of the absolute trust reposed in his capability and resourcefulness”.

The former speaker said these qualities would make the governor surpass the “marvellous achievements of former governors Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Babatunde Raji Fashola’’.

Ikuforiji said: “This profound judicial victory is indeed a clear vindication of not just the trust placed in Ambode as a tested and trusted technocrat who will deliver on his campaign promises, considering his rich antecedents, but also in the reliability of the leadership of our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“This very timely judicial victory coming at this auspicious time, is indeed a testimony to the fact that Lagosians will always reject the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has literally plundered our national economy since it came to power in 1999.”

July 6, 2015
‘How Ikuforiji helped to deepen our legislature’

Others enjoyed and were content with the sound made by others; many follow the well-trodden path; yet still, others are beholden to old trails and old ways but this one, I mean this son, this icon, goes where there are no trails. He leaves trails wherever he trod.”

In 2005, a man of unusual character who had in 2003 become a Legislator, an iconoclast emerged on the legislative plane not just in Lagos State but in Nigeria. A man who became a symbol of legislative excellence and for the next 10 years held aloft the banners of the Legislature as one of the great tripods of every democratic practice. He was elected overwhelmingly as the Speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly and it was upon this platform that he gave hope to democratic practice in Nigeria despite the well-established depth of opposition to the classical expression of legislative independence by the other arms of government in Nigeria.

He was a student genius who won all the accolades on graduation in 1975 with Distinction in the West African School Certificate Examination at Epe Grammar School, Epe Division. His academic records in that school is yet to be matched or surpassed till date. The same pursuit of academic excellence took him to Romania and other parts of the world where he acquired various diplomas, certificates and degrees while leading fellow students in various capacities and at different levels. His love for academics propelled him into setting up various philanthropic foundations for assisting indigent students achieve their dreams of acquiring life changing education perhaps because of his childhood experiences with poverty.

I still remember vividly his vision for ensuring that the nation’s leadership capacity and capability remains sustainable when he single handedly provided international leadership training in the US for Presidents and General Secretaries of all the students’ unions in all universities in Lagos State. Most of the beneficiaries of these programmes have come back home to contribute to the development of Lagos State. He is truly a man that believes in building human capital as the basis for sustainable national development.

Rt. Honorable Ikuforiji’s tenure in the Lagos House was marked by great achievements. He understood that democracy cannot be practiced effectively and efficiently without allowing its fundamental principles a free rein. He knew that the Legislature must be unfettered from every encumbrance that makes its operations difficult, thus unable to deliver optimally on its promise not just to other arms of government but mainly to the citizenry.

It was this critical perception that propelled and fanned his passion to creatively seek ways to severe every cord attached to the Lagos Assembly that had hitherto denied the assembly its freedom thus its role, credibility and viability as a Legislative House. His creative engagements with the other arms of government gave the Lagos Assembly its independence thus allowing the full operations of the principle of separation of powers in democratic governance in Lagos State.

This singular achievement earlier in his tenure as the Speaker of the Lagos House separated the House from the rest and marked it out as a reference point on legislative standards in Nigeria which signposted him as a pioneer of the quintessential legislature within the mold of classical democratic traditions.

He therefore contributed immensely not only to the emancipation of the legislature in Nigeria but also in deepening our democracy. His struggles for the freedom and independence of the Legislature in the country has inspired and galvanized many other legislators and legislative houses in Nigeria into a re-awakening, thus leading to the present clamor for legislative freedom. When you therefore hear of non-imposition or non-interference and financial autonomy in the various legislatures and other arms of government, Ikuforiji stands out as its chief apostle.

As we march into the new Legislative Assembly and as the Legislature all over Nigeria both at the state and at the federal level seek to offer the citizenry its promises as a vital arm of the government through renewed and continued insistence on the independence of the Legislature, Rt. Honourable Ikuforiji must be remembered as the man who served as a catalyst that made all these happen. Just like every social activist, he gave his heart and mind to this singular pursuit and the extent to which this has resonated we are sure went beyond his imaginations. Our democracy has been enriched by his efforts and our citizenry in the coming years will be better served.

Being a great advocate of legislative activism, he led the House during his leadership to the passage of many revolutionary laws in Lagos State, granting millions of Lagosians access to public and social infrastructure and services. Without the pivotal laws that were crafted under his leadership, it would have been difficult for the great landmark achievements attained by the Government of Babatunde Raji Fashola.

His creative partnership and engagement with the other arms of government in Lagos State, especially the executive, was also a model in productive and constructive relationship amongst these arms of government within every democracy. He never allowed the independence of the Legislature when it was eventually achieved to become adversarial, thus an impediment to the smooth operation of governance in the state. He generated an ambience of cooperation between the two arms of government, banishing all fears from the hearts of the Executive of the, albeit, erroneously conceived notion of Legislative excesses, arrogance and abuse. In the process, he created the legal environment, built trust and confidence that spurred the government into great achievements, thus making it within this period the toast of all other governments in Nigeria. It will be right to conclude that you cannot therefore talk about the achievements of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola without according a pride of place to the great contributions made by Honourable Ikuforiji.

Ikuforiji separated himself from the crowd just like an eagle so that he may be the standard. Refusing to be part of “legislature as usual” he stoically pursued his mission, knowing that it is either he fulfils it or he dies pursuing it. Unyielding to pressures to resort to diluted legislature; he succeeded in bestowing upon our democracy this present consciousness of the need for all democratic institutions to be optimally positioned to give their best to governance. However, he knew that for him to be the champion of the Legislature and attain his vision for a consolidated democracy, he must be prepared to pay the requisite price. He therefore never flinched when it was time for these costs to be borne. He unwaveringly confronted them and standing loyally to the party and the people of Lagos State, he bore the outcomes. The joy of Lagosians comforted him and the crescendo of the present clamour for the true practice of democracy became his strength.

Every discerning Lagosian will see the scars of these numerous selfless struggles on the Speaker. In these scars lay our freedom and in them lay the change in our democratic journey. They are but the banners of his victorious legacies and the standards which he has held aloft. Nonetheless, we want to point out that in his struggles and the consequent scars lay a deep lesson for all current political gladiators not only in the various legislative houses but also in other arms of government.

We are blessed to have cut our legislative teeth under his tutelage and leadership. He ran a great, visionary and well-focused Assembly that never dissipated its energies or tax payers’ funds on inanities. He insisted on legislative accountability with its central theme as the optimal delivery of service to our constituents.

Moreover, he averred that for us to carry out our moral and legislative obligations of over sighting the Executive, we must ensure that we handle our affairs, especially the financial aspect, with utmost transparency and care. The change or perfection that we expect from other arms of government ought to begin with us; that was his position and that was what guided us and guaranteed an Assembly that conducted its activities above board thus beyond reproach. He was therefore an embodiment of financial and legislative accountability, a legacy which the new House will aspire to maintain and build upon.

It is impossible to conclude any piece on the Rt. Honourable Adeyemi Ikuforiji’s legacies without mentioning what I have decided to call his penchant for legislative philanthropy. I recall that Comrade Jide Amosun, who was a NANS Vice President and the President of Ogun State Polytechnic, Ilaro Students’ Union, had an accident in 1999 and as a result of financial difficulties could not get good treatment. He thus became bedridden. When this came to the knowledge of the Speaker, he was immediately moved to tears and had to personally intervene to save the life of the young man. The comrade was flown to India where further diagnosis showed that more complications had set in as a result of the years of delay before treatment; the kind hearted Speaker still dipped his hands in his pocket to meet the extra cost required for complete treatment. Comrade Jide Amosun is alive today and contributing to our progress bearing testimony to the legacies which the outgoing Speaker brought to bear on Lagos in his sojourn as the head of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

We are all proud of his achievements and we are sure that the people of Lagos State will forever remember his ever ready attitude to listen to all groups and suggestions towards making good laws to maintain the state as the number one in Nigeria.

Legislators across Nigeria and within the different divides will remember him for his contribution to legislative networking and co-learning which has spread and deepened the understanding of the Legislature and legislative processes amongst all legislators both in Lagos State and in Nigeria as a whole.

–Hon. Olumuyiwa Wahab Jimoh (representing Apapa Constituency 11), is the Deputy Majority Leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

June 21, 2015