Category: <span>Press Release</span>

Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa has been re-elected by his colleagues to lead the Lagos State House of Assembly as Speaker for the third consecutive time.

The lawmakers also elected Hon. Mojisola Lasbat Meranda as the Deputy Speaker.

Obasa was unanimously re-elected after a proclamation of the 10th Assembly of the Lagos State House of Assembly by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was present with Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat and top government officials at the chamber of the House.

Obasa, the most ranking member of the House, was nominated by Hon. Temitope Adewale, who was seconded by Sylvester Ogunkelu.

Hon. Noheem Adams, the Deputy Majority Leader in the ninth Assembly, was elected as the new Majority Leader while Hon. Adedamola Kasunmu was elected the Deputy Majority Leader.

Hon. Mojeed Fatai of Ibeju Lekki 1 was elected as the Chief Whip while Hon. David Setonji was elected the Deputy Chief Whip.

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has said that the 30-day Islamic fasting affords Muslim faithful the opportunity to rededicate themselves to the religious tenets of piety, tolerance, forgiveness and love.

Dr. Obasa added that the Ramadan is a period of sober reflection, supplications and humility before Almighty Allah.

Obasa, in his Ramadan message released by Eromosele Ebhomele, his Chief Press Secretary, also congratulated Muslims in Lagos and Nigeria for having the divine privilege of being alive to partake in ‘Sawm’ and observe one of the five pillars of Islam.

The Speaker equally described the Ramadan as a period for Muslims in Lagos and Nigeria to show more commitment and adherence to the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, especially in the area of alms giving and love for one another.

Noting that the fasting came at the right time for Nigerians as the country just conducted the 2023 general election with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the President-elect, the Speaker urged Muslims to pray for the leadership of the country as well as the incoming administrations at national and state levels.

“We thank Almighty Allah for the privilege He has given us to partake in this Ramadan. We also thank Him for all that He has done for us individually, for our State and our country.

“Just as we seek the face of Allah for our individual needs at this period, let us also remember our country, especially at this time. We are happy Allah answered our Special Tawaf of last year on the presidential ambition of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Now that victory has been recorded, let’s all use this period to pray for the success of the forthcoming administration.

“As we fast, let’s not forget that alms giving is a cardinal principle in Islam just like it is in every religion. We should spend each day sharing love and reaching out to others.

“The Holy Qur’an instructs us to ‘Spend in God’s cause: do not contribute to your destruction with your own hands, but do good, for God loves those who do good.’

“Let’s not also forget to be pious, humble, tolerant of each other and obey every of Allah’s instructions now and always. Ramadan Kareem!” Obasa said while praying that every Nigerian would reap the reward of Ramadan.

– Summons HoS, Accountant-General, Commissioner
– orders withdrawal of appointment letters to affected appointees

The Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday ordered the withdrawal of letters given to government appointees whose nominations should have been sent to the House for their screening and confirmation, but who took up the jobs without the due process.

The House also ordered immediate halting of salaries and remunerations enjoyed by the affected government appointees pending their appearances before the House. The Assembly further summoned three top officials over the issue.

Those summoned include the Head of Service, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, the Accountant-General of the State, Dr. Abiodun Muritala, and the state’s Commissioner for Establishment, Mrs. Ajibola Ponnle.

In a ‘Matter of Urgent Public Importance’ brought before the House by Hon. Noheem Adams, Deputy Majority Leader, the lawmakers lamented the increasing situation where supposed nominees of the governor continue to work without being screened and confirmed by the House.

 

Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, who presided at the sitting, agreed with the lawmakers that appointments of that nature without recourse to the House amounted to infractions.

“I quite agree with all of you that the failure of such nominees to appear is an infraction or violation of the laws of this House, especially as it relates to the MDAs, most of which were established by the laws of this House,” Dr. Obasa said adding that the laws of the House of Assembly have statutory provisions that nominees of the governor must appear for confirmation.

“It is becoming common and regular and if we fail to act now, it becomes a norm. I share your sentiments that there is a need for us to put a stop to this. I am aware of the development in the Audit Commission, I am aware of the one in the Law Reform Commission and now the Auditor-General and some others,” he said.

Raising the issue earlier, Hon. Adams cited Section 1996, subsection 2; Section 198 and Section 126, subsection 3 which give backing to the House of Assembly in respect of nominations by the governor for appointments.

“Section 126, subsection 3 provides that except with the resolution of a State Assembly, no person shall act in the office of the Auditor-General for a state for a period exceeding six months.

“As the chairman, House committee on legislative compliance, I have observed that some appointments to boards and other agencies were not brought to this noble House. If this persists, the principle of separation of powers will be in jeopardy.

“For example, the Auditor-General was appointed on the September 22, 2022 and today is April 11, 2023,” Adams said adding that the Auditor-General’s appointment in acting capacity had exceeded what the laws stipulate.

Supporting Adams, Hon. Ademola Kasunmu said the stipulations of Section 198 should be strictly adhered to. He added that because such appointments are considered null and void, every remuneration that had gone out, should be returned to the coffers of the State.

Speaking on the same matter, Hon. Victor Akande observed that the situation happened in the judiciary where an appointment was done without recourse to the House and the due process.

Hon. Sa’ad Olumoh lamented that such appointments without regard for the House were becoming too many.

“Separation of power is a doctrine enshrined in the constitution. The executive has the right to nominate people and the House has the responsibility to either confirm or reject such nominations.

“It is not only in the office of the Auditor-General, but I don’t know in what capacity one can act beyond the time limit without recourse to the House,” he said while urging the House to look at the issue holistically so as to put an end to what could cause issues later.

Hon. Rotimi Olowo, who noted the difference between nomination and appointment, lamented: “Today, we have a lot of people parading themselves with many names without appearing before this House for clearance. It should not be a padi-padi thing. This is a constitutional matter and if we do not adhere, we would end up facing the wrought of the people.”

He said it was an infraction to have people who are not cleared by the House receiving salaries and “I am of the opinion that such money is supposed to be returned to the coffers.”

Hon. Desmond Elliot called on the House to act in a way to curtail any future occurrence while Hon. Femi Saheed suggested that “in line with the constitution, anyone acting outside the stipulated time must recourse to the House.”

He further suggested that the Head of Service be made to appear before the House to clear himself over the issue.

The Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday summoned the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Omotayo Bamgbose Martins over alleged disregard for due process.

Also summoned are the Special Adviser on Public Private Partnership, Mr. Ope George, and ENL NOVAL, the benefiting contract firm, over what the lawmakers complained as award of contract between the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development and the office of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) without without recourse to law.

The lawmakers further directed that all such agreements and contracts by the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development without regards to the law be put on hold.

Raising the issue under ‘Matters of Urgent Public Importance’, the Chairman of the Committee on Physical Planning and Urban Development, Hon. Nureni Akinsanya, cited Section 26 of the PPP Law, which he said was not followed.

“The trend of not passing through the House in PPP agreements needs to be stopped and discouraged and the law of this State, as passed by the Lagos State House of Assembly, must be duly complied with and enforced,” he said at a sitting presided by Deputy Speaker Wasiu Eshilokun-Sanni, who stood in for Speaker Mudashiru Obasa.

In his contribution, Hon. Sa’ad Olumoh who chairs the committee on Public Private Partnership at the House, noted that the committee on PPP was created by the Speaker Obasa to look into all the private partnership agreements entered into in the State.

“I observed in the course of our meetings with the Special Adviser in charge of PPP that a lot of MDAs have not met up with the due process as it involves PPP agreement.

“Section 8, 9 and 10 are very clear and the House of Assembly is not a rubber stamp. Due process must be followed and agreements should be ratified by the House of Assembly. We need to protect the interest of the State Government as well as that of private investors.”

Speaking on the issue, Hon. Rotimi Olowo said there was need to determine the financial implications of such contract.

 

Hon. Temitope Adewale, Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation, noted that ratification of such agreements by the House is in the interest of people and the State because of “unforeseen circumstances that could lead to litigation.

“PPP is a brilliant idea; laws made to direct the process need to be followed.

“Contracts been signed and not brought before the house for ratification is a flagrant disregard for the rule of law,” he said.

Chairman, House Committee on Works, Hon. Abiodun Tobun, noted that the House of Assembly enacted laws to guide procedures and the laws were assented to by the Governor.

“It is wrong for government to enter into partnership with private organisations without recourse to the legislative House. It is an aberration,” he said.

 

 

 

A five-man committee of the Lagos State House of Assembly was on Monday saddled with the responsibility of carrying out oversight over reported poor primary healthcare facilities in the State.

Members of the House of the House resumed after the 2023 general election with a ‘Matter of Urgent Public Importance’ on issues relating to scarcity of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in some areas of the State. In areas with the centres, some of the lawmakers complained of poor facilities and lack of enough medical personnel.

Speaker Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, who presided over the plenary, named Deputy Leader of the House, Noheem Adams as chairman of the Committee. The other members include Rotimi Abiru, Hakeem Sokunle, Owolabi Ajani and Jude Idimogu. They are to report to the House in two weeks.

Dr. Obasa noted that every ward in Lagos deserves a well-equipped PHC for effective medical attention of residents.

“I will go with those who suggest that each ward should have a PHC since health facilities should be very close to the people. We have some wards that are very big and must be taken into cognisance.

“To make sure we do justice to this motion, it is proper we have a committee in place. We must also ensure budgetary provision at the local government level.

“We should call on local government chairmen to ensure that they have centres in each ward. And it should not be about fanciful structures alone but the service,” he said.

Raising the motion, Hon. Adams said Lagos has 327 functional health care centres in Lagos stressing that these are not enough for the about 22 million people resident in the State.

He said there was need for more personnel to be employed while more facilities should be built.

Hon. Temitope Adewale suggested the need to know who should be responsible for provision of primary healthcare system.

While noting that each ward should have a PHC, he lamented that Ifako-Ijaiye with seven wards and five centres has just two that are fully functional.

Contributing, Hon. David Setonji described PHCs as the most critical since it is closest to the people, “but the number we have in Lagos is very low.”

Hon. Suraj told his colleagues that issues relating to non-functioning health centres came to the fore during the electioneering.

On his part, Leader of the House, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, urged the House to spend the remaining days of the current tenure on oversight relating to the issue while Desmond Elliot called for collaboration between the local and state governments in this regard.

Hon. Tobun Abiodun suggested that there should be ways to make personnel stay in communities they are deployed to while Hon. Adedamola Kasunmu called for an invitation to the State’s primary healthcare board for details on the state of PHCs in Lagos.

Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu, however, expressed hope that more healthcare facilities would be built and equipped as the State government already budgeted about ₦15b in 2023 for the purpose.

– Congratulates Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu, Obasa
– Condemns hate speeches, ethnicity, tribalism, religious sentiment

Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday congratulated Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima for winning what lawmakers described as a free and credible 2023 presidential election.

The House also congratulated Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat while calling Speaker Obasa a ‘record breaker’ for being re-elected a sixth time to represent Agege Constituency 1 at the House.

The lawmakers further resolved to send congratulatory messages to the President-elect, the Governor of Lagos State, and the elected members of the National Assembly, while the House would send a commendation letter each to President Muhammadu Buhari, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies for their roles at ensuring a peaceful general election, especially in Lagos State.

While commending the electorate for voting during the exercise, the House further admitted that the election has become an opportunity for elected official to learn some lessons going forward.

“I think this is an opportunity for our political scientists to x-ray the situation. This was an election where some sitting governors lost to opposition.

“The election has come and gone but there is a need to look again at ourselves to see what we have left undone and what we need to sustain, how we can manage the social contract we have with the people,” he said.

Dr. Obasa noted that even the United States that is considered a leading democracy still conducts elections that some some candidates challenge as not perfect.

“I am saying this to those who have been beating drums of war and anger. We must learnt to endure and accept the outcomes of election but that does not mean we cannot legally challenge the outcome. We need to be more patriotic, we have a nation that we must protect, we have had an election and it is worthy,” he said.

“We need to call everyone to order that the process of election is what everyone must comply with.
The Muslim-Muslim ticket was a bold one and had those who favoured it and those who were against it, but at the end, the election has happened. “It was a good election and it was successful.”

For those sponsoring inciting comments on social media, Obasa urged for caution reminding them to understand that freedom of expression also has limitations.

“We must give kudos to President Buhari for being upright during the election and also commend INEC and the people who voted.

“For us at the Lagos Assembly, the election went well as we had 38 and we hope that the remaining two will join us after exploring legal means to recover their victories. Lagos also got 20 elected House of Representatives members and the three senators.

“It shows that the people of Lagos love us and support what we are doing right,” he said as he thanked Agege people for returning him to the House.

Earlier, the lawmakers who took turns to speak about the election, expressed optimism that the administration of Asiwaju Tinubu would liberate citizens from the shackles of poverty, divisive tendencies and youth restiveness.

Leader of the House, Hon Sanai Agunbiade, moving a motion under ‘Matter of Urgent Public Importance’, observed that despite the peaceful nature of the elections, there had been lots of dust that needs to be addressed.

According to him, “We need to conscientise ourselves, not to enable the haters and those who are peddling rumours to incite members of the public. Elections are over but national healing is necessary. We should encourage members of the public not to join in hot arguments.”

Other lawmakers including Yinka Ogundimu, Bisi Yusuff, Setonji David, Adedamola Kasunmu and Victor Akande, congratulated Obasa for his victory noting that his leadership of the House produced a Senator and Rep member-elect.

The lawmakers also expressed confidence in him saying they would love him to lead the House in the 10th Assembly.