- Wole Adejumo
In the opinion of many indigenes of Oyo, the state that
prides itself as the pace setter, trust and common sense are gradually being upheld
in the House of Assembly.
For the first time since the inception of the 8th
House of Assembly, the Deputy Speaker, Hon Abdulwasi Musa presided over a
plenary session on Tuesday 19th April, 2016.
He has never been allowed to, not for incompetence but what
some call “distrust’. Before now, it was usually discussed in hushed tones that
“the Deputy Speaker should be kept away from the Speaker’s seat so that he
doesn’t become too ambitious”. Incidentally, when he did preside this time, the
Speaker, Hon Michael Adeyemo was billed to attend a function; though the
Speaker started the session, he had to leave before it ended.
Over the years, the Oyo State House of Assembly has become a
place where “political skills” make more meaning than academic qualifications
and any other thing. Not many will ever forget how Honourable Kehinde Ayoola
was removed or how Honourable Maroof Atilola begged passionately in Governor
Ladoja’s to save his position as Speaker in the heat of the Adedibu-Ladoja
crisis. Then came the era of the G-18 and G-14 which saw the ouster of Senator
Ladoja. Atilola’s time came again when Otunba Akala became the substantive
governor. The invasion of the assembly
and the attack on some Honourables, including Nafiu Baale will remain in some
memories for long.
Of course, there is something to remember about almost
everyone that has occupied the position of the Honourable Speaker of the House
of Assembly in Oyo State. With the inauguration of Honourable Michael Adeyemo,
who was the Deputy Chief Whip in the 7th Assembly as the Speaker of
the 8th House of Assembly however, not a few people have observed that
the House might not make much difference from the ones in dispensations before
it, in terms of performance and vibrancy.
Minutes after he was inaugurated, Mr. Speaker was seen prostrating
himself before the wife of the Governor; thus giving doubters the absolute conviction
of where his loyalty would lie.
It would be factually incorrect to say there are checks and
balances in the governmental structure as far as Oyo State is concerned. The
legislative arm has simply been functioning far below its full capacity.
Things got to a head recently with the allegation of
extortion leveled against members of the House. It was alleged that appointed
caretaker chairmen coughed out about N 2 million each before they were
confirmed. Though the matter was never set before any court of law, the issue
is still being decided by the court of public opinion.
And while the electorate continues to wonder if their
expectations of legislative achievements will be met, the Governor seems to
have built a master-servant relationship with the lawmakers. Not long ago, word
leaked out that legislators were owed salaries and allowances for months. Sittings
were suspended and boycotted and before long, the House tactically went on
strike. A thing hitherto unheard of in the history of Oyo State.
Another ground for distrust in the House was the fact that the
governor got blow by blow accounts of almost every meeting held by the
legislators at that time. He knew who said what, even before they left the
venue of every meeting. The Governor’s image looms so large amongst the
lawmakers that their meetings are reportedly streamed live to him.
When reconciliatory meetings were held, it again became
obvious that some of the lawmakers owed the governor favours, especially
concerning the sponsorship of their elections.
A school of thought has opined that if truly every society
deserves the kind of leaders it gets, those constituting the membership of the
House may need to be checked. Reason? Some believe it is made up of ‘the good,
the bad and the ugly” as members include professionals, people of sound mind as
well as those who were suspended as undergraduates for embezzling students’
union funds.
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