What is your reaction to the fact that majority of the State Houses of Assembly rejected the constitutional amendment to give them autonomy?
Before the National Assembly came up with it, we (Lagos State House of Assembly) had it. The fact that some Houses came back to say no, should be a concern to every one of us. Every stakeholder in this Nigeria should feel concerned because that tells us that the value attached to legislation and democracy itself, is put to question in some states.
It is also a sign that we have some dictators in some states of the federation. There are some Houses where the leadership lacked the courage to look into the eye of the governor and say we should have it. They are worried; they are scared that the governor can get them removed. That is the honest truth; otherwise there was no good reason for it.
The PDP in Lagos State called for your step down as the Speaker because of the alleged case of fraud, what is your comment on this?
I don’t think there is anything wrong for anybody voicing his opinion in a democratic setting, whether that opinion is logical or something else. If anybody that is alleged in this polity, is to step down, l don’t think there would be anybody left. From the head to the tow of the leadership of the nation, you hear allegations on a daily basis. So we should not have anybody in office at all?
Lagos Speaker, Ikuforiji
Let us go back to the story of the allegation against the speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly. The news started flying that he has embezzled N7 billion and that the EFCC is investigating him but today, it has come down to N500milion which it is said did not go through due process.
Upon which one is the Speaker expected to step down? Was it on the allegation of N7billion or the one that did not go through due process? Upon which one should he step down? Since the case is in court, anybody standing in the court is presumed innocent until the court finds him guilty. I don’t know why they are afraid?
What is your relationship with the Executive and what do you think is the cause of instability in the leadership of some State Houses of Assembly?
The legislative branch in the country is 13 years old while the executive is as old as Nigeria. We have been having the executive arm of government since the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914. This is equally applicable to the judiciary.
The truth of the matter is that a 98 year old papa who had been put under the oversight of a 13 year old boy, you do not expect the child to carry out his duty without fumbling, stumbling or boxing himself to a corner.
So the legislature is in a precarious situation more than any other arm of government in the country and has many curves which are totally different from others. It will take us time, we would get there, and we are already on the way.
If you are a Speaker and you forget that every other person in the House is a potential Speaker, you are already in trouble.
Despite the fact that they call you their boss, the truth of the matter is that you are their servant who takes care of their needs. If you see yourself as the big boss, before you know it, there is conspiracy. The constitution makes it so easy to the House to impeach the Speaker. Before a House could impeach the governor, a process must be followed, but in the case of a Speaker, it is very simple. There is no condition attached.
The House can just wake up and say the Speaker must go and before you know it, it is done. This gives the executive a lot of leverage. That is basically why there is instability. On my relationship with the executive, I will say we are very lucky in Lagos. In 1999, the man who headed government then was a legislator. He is a democrat to the core; that is Bola Tinubu. His relationship with the legislature was the type that makes legislature to grow.
He made sure that the legislature was on its feet in the state and the tradition continues. He tolerated divergent opinion. His Speaker could tell him to his face, Your Excellency; this is not acceptable to us. You can argue with him to any length without leading to any sanction. If your argument is superior, Tinubu will back out and let the situation be. With that type of a man, the Lagos House started cutting its teeth and growing firmly on ground faster than any other legislative House in the country.
By the time l took over in 2005, the one and half years l spent with him gave me the necessary ingredient to forge ahead. On my first day in office when l went to his office, he stood up to greet me, Mr. Speaker. That emboldened me. I guarded that jealously. When the new governor came, the initial challenge was to keep the legislative House intact preparing it for the job to be done. I did a lot of things to make sure that the House is behind the governor for a successful journey. I give glory to God that we succeed and kudos to my colleagues for their commitment and dedication.
What have you been able to achieve?
I know where the House was in December 29 2005 and where we are today, it was a long journey full of events and results. We have been able to turn around the fortune of the state. We are able to expose the legislature and the supporting staff to the best practices you can think of in the country. I know there is no single House that can equal us in the country in terms of giving the right training and best practices to the extent that there is no single month we do not receive visitors from other states who come to study one thing or the order that we have done.
We are not a rubber stamp House like in other places yet we do not set the state on fire in order to make our point. We still put the executive arm on his toes without unnecessarily creating pandemonium. We ask relevant questions and we demand answer to them.
Do we actually have reason to celebrate democracy day?
We still have many things to celebrate. We are in a hurry; democracy is only 13 years old. We cannot have everything in 13 years. We must learn to be patient and be focused.Daily Jokes | Free Forex Signals | Ibadan City Network (Forum) | Small Business Guide
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