Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has said that the regular parliamentary sessions by members of the House has been recipe for the unity enjoyed in the state legislative arm of government.
Obasa in a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by his Special Adviser on Legislative and Political Matters, Hon. Mufutau Egberongbe, explained that the Lagos State House of Assembly has been able to remain the best in the country due to unity among the members of the House.
The Speaker pointed out that regular holding of parliamentary sessions before plenary sessions have made the job of legislation easier. “Most times when we have critical issues to discuss, we meet at parliamentary session and iron them out so that we can have a robust and smooth discussions at plenary sessions.
“Also, when there is a bill from the Executive arm, we hold Executive briefing at parliamentary session and this will enable us to have a member of the Executive arm to come and brief and give us the pros and cons of the bill. Eventually, this will assist members in critiquing the bill at plenary which will lead to speedy passage. This also fosters strong tie between the Executive and Legislative arms.
“As a legislative arm, there should regular parliamentary meetings as this will help in having peaceful and meaningful plenary sessions. This is what has been keeping us solid here in Lagos State House of Assembly,” the statement read in part.
The statement further stated that the activities of the House under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Obasa, are institutionalized and not personalized and these have been responsible for the speed at which dividends of democracy are achieved.
The statement quoted the Speaker as saying “it is not about me but about the House, I have the strong belief that the legislative arm as an institution should come first so that it can outlive us in good legacy and a roadmap for others coming behind to follow.”
The statement further clarified that other institutionalized framework used in administering the House is the Finance and General Purpose Committee, a committee that determines the expenditure of the House.
“As we have this Finance and General Purpose Committee, which is made up of some members of the House; we also have the Disciplinary Committee, which is headed by the Chief Whip of the House the statement added.
