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Tag: Monsurat Sunmonu

  • Oyo senators deny decamping to PDP

    The two senators from Oyo State, whose names appear on the list of defectors to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at the floor of the Senate Tuesday, Adesoji Akanbi and Monsurat Sunmonu, have denied defecting to the major opposition party.

    In separate statements, the two lawmakers described the listing of their names as an error which they must correct to members of the public.

    But while Senator Akanbi said his name was wrongly included in the list, adding that he raised a point of order to correct it at the floor of the senate, Sunmonu said she only defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

    Read Also:Defection: PDP gives Saraki, Dogara, Tambuwal, Kwankwaso, others two-week deadline

    Sunmonu, in a statement, explained that her defection was due to the crisis in the Oyo State chapter of the APC, stressing that genuine reconciliation was not being pursued.

    “Today, 24 July 2018, a letter was read during the Senate Plenary announcing the defection of some senators from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    “Please be advised that my defection is as a result of issues within the APC Oyo State Chapter.

    “As we know, politics is local and despite the rhetoric, there has been little or no effort at the state level to reconcile differences by incorporating various stakeholders and interests.

    “I hereby declare affiliation with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).”

    In his own statement, Akanbi emphasized that he was still a member of the APC, adding that he was loyal to the party and its leadership. The statement read: “It was to my great surprise to hear that my name was listed among APC senators defecting to the PDP on the floor of the Senate Chamber by the Senate President. I remain an APC member and the senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District. This is to put the record straight. I am a progressive to the core. I remain loyal to my party and its leadership.”

    A total of 15 senators had been listed to have defected to the PDP at the Senate in a move interpreted by many political watchers to be the first step in allowing the PDP to take over the leadership of the Senate under Senator Bukola Saraki who is also expected to defect to the PDP.

  • LG Election: Oyo APC shifts LG congress till Sunday

    The National Congress Committee of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to monitor the scheduled Local Government Congress in Oyo state has announced a shifting of the election to tomorrow, Sunday.

    The Committee said the shift is inevitable in view of the earlier schedule local government election in the state.

    Chairman of the committee, Mr Musa Halilu-Ahmed made the disclosure while addressing stakeholders at the state party secretariat, Oke Ado, Ibadan.

    The press conference was attended by representatives from all the 33 LGAs in the state, party chieftains, women leaders, lawmakers among others.

    Senator Monsurat Sunmonu (Oyo Central) led other members of the state house of Assembly to represent the Unity Forum faction at the meeting.

    He said the decision was reached after wide consultation with all the relevant stakeholders coupled with the recommendations of the state police command.

    Read Also: Man arraigned for ‘disrupting’ APC primaries

    Halilu-Ahmed told the stakeholders that his committee had earlier on arrival in the state to prepare for the second phase of the assignment received a formal letter from the state party chairman, Chief Akin Oke intimating the congress committee of the proposed LG elections which had long been scheduled for May 12.

    He disclosed that parts of step taken were to consult widely the stakeholders and particularly the state commissioner of police and other security operatives.

    He added that, the state police command after series of brainstorming in a letter written to the committee also recommended the shifting of one of the elections and suggested that shifting the LG congress would be better since it is a party affair while the LG polls concern all political parties in the state.

    While informing all the party members that all the necessary forms for participants at the LG congress is readily available for aspirants who have made the required payment to pick, Halilu-Ahmed called on the security agencies, particularly the police and Director of State Service to ensure the safety and security of the party secre

    Reasons given by the police in the letter to the Committee, which was read out to the stakeholders was inadequate manpower to cover both the LG elections and LG congress at the same time in addition to the fact that the police are also stakeholders in the election.

    In making the announcement, Halilu-Ahmed however noted that, the choice of shifting the LG Congress is more appropriate because of the restriction of human and vehicular movement within the state on the ground of the LG polls.

     

  • NASS says no more delayed salaries, underfunding in foreign missions

    NASS says no more delayed salaries, underfunding in foreign missions

    The Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Foreign Affairs have said that the era of non-payment of workers’ salaries at Nigerian foreign missions, was over.

    The committees, led by the Chairperson of the Senate Committee, Sen. Monsurat Sunmonu, stated this during a fact-finding mission to the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN in New York.

    Sunmonu regretted the condition of the members of staff and the infrastructure decay at the missions, but noted that things had improved from their previous state.

    “What we had last year was not the same thing as what you’re having right now and this is just the beginning; wouldn’t rest until the best is achieved.”

    She commended the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives for their cooperation saying “if we haven’t got their support, all our hopes and efforts would have been shattered”.

    “We also thank Baba, Mr President – Muhammadu Buhari – and we pray to the Lord Almighty to bring him back safely because of the vision that he has for Nigeria.

    “God was just giving him that grace and we are looking forward to his return and we know that God will answer our prayer,” she said.

    Sunmonu noted that the July salaries of the foreign missions had been paid and assured that monthly salaries would now be paid before the middle of the month.

    “Your salaries have been paid up till July. Today, we are going to phone the Minister, and I will tell him that he should just please try and buckle up.

    “I can tell you that the reason that there was some delay is because of the transition, the Permanent Secretary just left, he needs to handover to somebody.

    “The representative of the Ministry has been cooperating with us, although if the executive doesn’t cooperate with the legislature is a problem.

    “We can have marriage of convenience, as long as we are getting things done. That’s the most important. But this week, by God’s grace, you would have received your alert.”

    The Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Shaaba Lafiaji, assured the mission officials that the committees were doing their best to protect their interests and that of the country.

    “We are out there working and doing everything possible to protect your interest out here and protect the interest of the country as a whole.

    “The Chairperson has consistently insisted that the budget that is meant for all the missions should directly go to them and she succeeded in doing that because she stood firm.

    “Before then, budgets are lumped together, sent to the Ministry and the Ministry chose and picked and those of you that are out there were always the worse for it.

    “We know what you’re going through; we know what sacrifices you’re making; remember you’re making these sacrifices for your country; don’t give up, continue to stand strong for Nigeria.”

    Vice-Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee, Ibrahim Dutse, said the fact-finding mission was in line with relevant provisions for the House to oversight at the end of every appropriation.

    “Whatever we appropriate to any agency, organization, or department, we need to see exactly what was done with the funds. That’s why we’re in New York, London, Geneva and Washington.

    “We came here to check the appropriations we made last year and we are pleased to note that your Mission has complied substantially with most of the appropriated funds.

    “The funds were actually assigned for the purposes they were appropriated. So I want to thank the Ambassador and the ministry that things are getting to normal in our missions.”

    A member of the House of Representatives Committee, Mukaila Kassim, expressed happiness that things had improved at the foreign missions through the efforts of the two legislative committees.

    “I want to tell you that we won’t stop until we see that everything gets to normal. We will make sure that we are there. I know to get there is not easy.

    “Even the British system that has been set up for several years, they are still saying that ‘we’re getting there’. So definitely, we’re getting there and we will get there.”

    The Deputy Permanent Representative at the Mission, Amb. Samson Itegboje, praised the committee members for their visit.

    Itegboje, however, pointed out that the mission and the workers had continued to endure and work under difficult conditions in the overall interests of the country.

  • Senator calls for multilateral approach to loot recovery

    As the world converges in London to review strategies to tackle corruption, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Monsurat Sunmonu, has called for a multi-lateral approach to loot prevention and recovery from all nations of the world.

    Sunmonu, who made the call in an interview with The Nation, said offering protection for loots from other countries is a strong hindrance to efforts at preventing and recovering looting across the nations of the world. She posited that no single country can fight corruption alone in the face of technology that has changed the world to a global village.

    The lawmaker also reiterated the position at the Westminster Community of Practice conference in London last week.

    The purpose of the Conference was to build on outputs from the regional workshops to present the International Parliamentarians’ Handbook as a resource for parliamentarians in their engagement with the new Sustainable Development Framework, encouraging parliaments in their role as key stakeholders in the implementation of these targets.

    Sen. Sunmonu encouraged countries to come together to help resolve the problem. The Westminster Community of Practice, a collection of organisations working on parliamentary strengthening, met at Canada House for their third meeting with the theme: Curbing Corruption: the role of parliamentarians’.

    At the conference, Stephen Twigg MP, Chair of the International Development Committee (IDC), chaired the discussion. Twigg highlighted the importance of the inquiry the IDC are about to start looking into the role the United Kingdom (UK) plays in tackling corruption before the Prime Minister’s expected summit on anti-corruption this month.

    “What we do in our own parliament must be assessed first before we develop a policy to tackle global corruption” he said.

    A Senior Advocacy Manager at Transparency International, Rachael Davies, reaffirmed the importance of getting the UK’s house in order first to avoid risking a lack of credibility.

    “It is great to encourage others, but we also need to clean up our own backyard” she said, highlighting weaknesses in the UK anti-money laundering system. Nigeria has enough domestic focussed legislation to fight corruption.

    “As regards this already existing legislation, I believe the role the legislature can play is more review based, to ensure the existing legislation is more robust, by closing loopholes that have been exploited over the years. An important development is financial autonomy and independence of these agencies, so that they themselves are not the subject of corruption.

    “I also think that the punishments for corruption need to be made more of a deterrent. This does not however apply only to Nigeria. I often see in the news corruption cases being punished with a slap on the wrists. Yes, each country is to determine its own individual policy as regards punishment, but with the world becoming a smaller place a consensus needs to be reached.

    “Where I believe a lot more can be done is in the international sphere. And what I mean by this, is that there is a lot of ill-gotten wealth from Nigeria all over the world. President Buhari has visited many of the countries where investigations reveal this wealth has been stashed. This is where the legislature can really come to the fore.

    “You see, any bilateral or multilateral agreement, or MoU signed will be key to repatriating Nigeria’s wealth, and also acting as a deterrent in the future. Simply because when a criminal knows that there is nowhere to hide he or she may not steal. It is the legislature’s role to ensure that such agreements signed by the Executive are domesticated and become law. In my capacity as Chair of the National Assembly Committees on Foreign Affairs, my team and I are currently reviewing existing agreements and pushing for ratification of those that have not been previously ratified.”

  • Oyo Speaker picks APC senatorial ticket

    Oyo Speaker picks APC senatorial ticket

    THE Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Monsurat Sunmonu, picked yesterday the Oyo Central Senatorial ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    She defeated the Commissioner for Works, Bimbo Kolade, and Tunde Oyewo, who polled 899 and 127 votes.

    She was declared winner at exactly 1:06am at the Akinyele Local Government secretariat, Ibadan, venue of the primary.

    The party, it was learnt, zoned the ticket to Oyo Federal Constituency, comprising the four local governments in Oyo land.

    After she was declared winner, Mrs. Sunmonu praised party leaders, delegates as well as her co-contestants for their doggedness, commitment to the APC as demonstrated through their spirit of understanding.

     

  • ‘Leading the 7th Assembly has been tough, easy’

    ‘Leading the 7th Assembly has been tough, easy’

    When the seventh Oyo state House of Assembly was inaugurated on June 10, 2011, Rt. Hon. Monsurat Sunmonu was the cynosure of all eyes as she was elected the first female Speaker in the history of the state’s legislative arm. She spoke with BISI OLADELE on her experience in the past three years.

    How has it been sustaining peace in this 7th Assembly since its inauguration three years ago?

    Three years is like hundred years of grace. God has been so merciful to us in the last three years and we cannot but thank God for His mercy and grace that He has availed this 7th Assembly. He still makes us one happy and big family. And, to me personally, I will always be grateful to my members – my 31 husbands – as I usually say, and also to all the staff. We equally thank the Executive, the Judiciary and all the good people of Oyo State.

    How tough or easy has it been for you as the leader of this Assembly?

    Life is tough; life is easy, even in your house or within your family. Things have been working well for us because God has given us the grace of good understanding among ourselves. However, there are difficult times too. We have to prioritize our engagements. For example, if I have to be somewhere now and other people somewhere else expect me to be with them at the same time, I have to prioritize my schedule. But, by the special grace of God, and the understanding of my colleagues, we have been able to work together and prioritize our duties accordingly.

    People weren’t expecting much from this assembly because of the violence that marred the 5th and 6th Assemblies. What would you describe as the success factors for this 7th Assembly?

    The success factors are assault-free, thuggery-free, the good understanding that we have and because of the calibre of people that we have in the 7th Assembly. We rub minds together on how to lay a good legacy right from the beginning. Also, we have focus, we are all visionary leaders; we all make sure that we bring success into this Assembly and to be able to accomplish what our constituents have sent us to do in the State Assembly.

    How were you able to ward-off thuggery and political brigandage in the House?

    It is mainly because of the calibre of people that make up this Assembly. None of them will engage in thuggery or any act of violence. Since we don’t have that among ourselves, nobody can do it. Also, we all want to make sure we are able to perform so brilliantly well that our people will have good things to say about us. That has been the attitude and nature of the calibre of people we have here. We also don’t allow detractors to dabble into our affairs. So, we thank God for that.

    Where is party supremacy or party interest in the conduct of the affairs of the Seventh Assembly in spite of the members coming from three different parties?

    There is no party supremacy in this present Assembly because party politics is quite different from governance. We believe that the duties of our parties are to give us opportunity to contest and win election but once you are coming to the Assembly as a member, the business of governance takes pre-eminence. As a Speaker, I’m a Speaker for all parties; I’m a Speaker for Oyo State, not the APC speaker. Therefore, if you have that kind of mindset, that means there is no party supremacy in making decisions. We are being guided by the rule of law; we have to follow what the constitution says because the law doesn’t say your party wants this; but the people of Oyo State want this. So, that is what we have been operating on in this Assembly.

    Some would see the cordial relationship between the Executive and the Legislature as a compromise on the side of the Legislature. How would you respond to this?

    Yes, it is possible people say that because we are in a country where fraud is endemic. So, whether you do anything good or bad, they accuse you of compromise. But we also have to consider that other people’s credibility and integrity are very important. We in the 7th Assembly have never compromised anything with the Executive. We are only lucky that we have the kind of governor we are working with, in the state. The governor is equally lucky to have the set of lawmakers in the 7th Assembly; where we are able to sit down and iron things out together to let him (the governor) know the dos and don’ts. We have to let him know what the constitution says. And fortunately, the governor is not a lawless person. When somebody is not lawless, people think that is compromise, but it isn’t. It shows good understanding among the parties involved in this project.

    Going by your experience, what advice would you give the people of Oyo State and politicians in the constitution of the next Assembly?

    My advice is for them to follow the steps that this 7th Assembly has taken because examples are better than precepts. We are setting good examples which I believe people should be able to follow. And also, when you are trying to elect new set of people, try to consider their background and see that they have something to fall back on. It is only people that have got nothing to fall back on that make politics a do-or-die venture. I wish everybody the best in 2015. And they should look before they leap.

    How do you feel about this Assembly that just clocked three years?

    I am quite happy that I am able to achieve what I have achieved as the Speaker of this Assembly. I am happy for the kind of relationship that exists between the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary because we have been so friendly with one another. Also, I am happy that I am able to work with Governor Abiola Ajimobi, a visionary leader. I hope the people of the state will allow him to continue because if you consider what he has done in the last three years, Oyo State will give glory to the Almighty God. We must be able to criticize positively and not try to tell false tales of what is happening in the state.

  • Oyo Assembly passes N208b budget

    Oyo Assembly passes N208b budget

    The Oyo State House of Assembly yesterday passed the N208,376,635,152 2014 Appropriation Bill into law.

    The budget is about 22 per cent higher than last year’s N159.6 billion.

    The budget is N19,541,047,452 higher than the N188,835,587,700 proposal Governor Abiola Ajmobi presented to the Assembly for consideration.

    The House, presided over by the Speaker, Alhaja Monsurat Sunmonu, passed the budget into law after the Committee on Public Account, Finance and Appropriation submitted its report on the bill.

    The report was jointly presented by the committee’s Chairman Olusegun Olaleye and House Committee on Information and Orientation Chairman Kolade Olagunju.

    Recurrent expenditure got N97,960,164,300 and N110,416,470,852 capital expenditure.

    Explaining the reason for increasing the budget, Olaleye said the House considered the need to adequately finance the administration’s people-oriented and welfare programmes.

    He said the House needs to support the governor to make Oyo investors-friendly and less-dependent on Federal Allocation.

     

    Minority Leader Rafiu Adekunle urged the governor to ensure that Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAS) get quarterly allocation instead of monthly to enable them render quality services to the public.

    The Speaker urged those involved in the implementation of the budget to do so judiciously.

    The Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2013 and the Violence Against Women (Prohibition) Bill, 2013, passed through the first reading.

    The House adjourned sitting till March 4.

  • Oyo Assembly confirms seven commissioners

    Oyo Assembly confirms seven commissioners

    The Oyo State House of Assembly has confirmed seven commissioners nominated by Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

    They are Mrs. Tinuke Oshikoya, Mr. Tayo Koleosho, Chief Fatai Abimbola, Alhaji Abideen Oladimeji, Mr. Iyiola Ambali Ahmed, Mr. Fatai Buhari and Mr. Bonuola Oyinlade.

    After they were screened yesterday, the House went on a five minutes break to review their performances.

    After the break, the Speaker, Mrs. Monsurat Sunmonu, announced that the nominees performed creditably and possessed the relevant qualifications.

    She urged the commissioners to justify the confidence reposed in them and support the governor’s efforts to improve the state.

    With the new appointees, Oyo now has 19 commissioners.

    Twelve commissioners were sworn-in recently. One nominee is yet to be screened.

  • Al-makura, Aregbesola for De Raufs’ presentation in London

    Al-makura, Aregbesola for De Raufs’ presentation in London

    Governors Umar Al-makura (Nasarawa) and Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), as well as the Speakers of Lagos, Oyo and Osun Houses of Assembly are among the dignitaries expected at the public presentation of the United Kingdom (U.K.) chapter of a socio-volunteer group, De Raufs.

    The group will propagate Aregbesola’s ideals on good governance on January 25 at the Cambridge Hall in London.

    Lagos Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji is the chairman of the occasion.

    Oyo Speaker Mrs. Monsurat Sunmonu is the chairperson of the day.

    Former Minister of Aviation Femi Fani-Kayode and a Dublin Chartered Accountant, Alhaji Kehinde Rajitola, will give lectures on “Volunteerism as a strategy in building the people’s democracy”.

    The Mayor of Lambeth, Councillor Mark Bennett; the Mayor of Southwark, Councillor Abdul Mohammed and Senator Ganiyu Solomon are expected at the event.