• Obasa tasks old, new legislators on legislative responsibilities
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday, enjoined the youths to shun violence, drug abuse and bring out the creativity in them to contribute meaningfully to the development of the state.
He spoke at the commencement of the 11 days programme of activities to mark the inauguration of his second term administration held at Muri Okunola Park.
Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by Permanent Secretary, Public Service Office, Sunkanmi Oyegbola, urged youths to do away with things that could limit their progress and that of the state.
He said that the event was to thank the youths for their support during the state’s gubernatorial election and for them to embrace artificial intelligence for development.
Also, at the JJT Park, Commissioner for Education, Folashade Adefisayo, who stood in for the governor, expressed optimism that the future of Lagos youths is bright.
MEANWHILE, Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, has tasked the newly-elected legislators and their ranking counterparts to stand up to their legislative responsibilities and be ready to give quality representation to the constituencies they represent.
Obasa, who stated this during a two-day workshop organised by the Assembly, in conjunction with KONARD ADENAUR STIFTUNG, to prepare the newly-elected lawmakers and get them acquainted with the ethics, values, policies, visions and missions of legislative job, said it is imperative to get the legislators accustomed to the duties of lawmaking as this will improve governance.
He said: “The workshop is to recognise how important the legislature is to democracy. Without legislatures, no democracy and without legislators, no representation and where all these are absent, it means citizens have no say in government.”
He, therefore, urged the legislators to ensure quality representation through their oversight function.
One of thee returning lawmakers, Mr Abiodun Tobun, who represents Epe Constituency 1 on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), said the essence of the workshop was to get the lawmakers more familiar with the proceedings, constitutional provisions, Separation of Powers, oversight function, tax function and how best to make dividends of democracy closer to the people.
He said learning is a continuous process, just as he said the essence of the programme was to update the knowledge of the parliamentarians and to expose them to modern-day practice.
“For us, in the Lagos State House of Assembly, I think there is not many encumbrances or problem but the training is for us to learn more. Sometimes there could be conflict but the best way to resolve it is through legal procedure.
“What we are doing here today is to get us more exposed to modern-day practice and look at what we have observed in the cause of our operations by bringing in experts to share knowledge and rob minds with us.
“Lagos parliament will remain the best and we remain ever proactive as we use to be,” he said.
The keynote speaker, Associate Professor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Dr. Adetunji Ogunyemi, said the time has come for Nigerians to accept the reality of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and not disparage it.
“There are indeed fundamental alterations in the constitution and it is history does not mean much to the detail because it was a major decree, decree No 24 of 1999, which means it is a constitution that did not come from a constituted assembly of the people of Nigeria. But we have been using it for 24 years more than two decades, I think s high time we accept the Constitution as the fundamental principle that we shall be governed. What is left now is altering the constitution to make it comply with the need and aspirations, particularly the need of Nigerian citizens.”
He noted that part of the reason why Nigeria are not properly situated within the orbit of development is due to certain contradictions and self-imposed problems in the constitution that are not necessary.
“For example in the second schedule of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, there are 68 powers out of the 98 powers that are created for the governments, the federal, state and local governments. 68 out of the 98 powers are confiscated by the federal government and that is because of the military background of the constitution. I think it is unworthy and the time has come for that power to be devolved to the state, particularly powers in respect to personal income tax. Income tax issues are issues that should be discussed at the state level, not federal. if it is based on concurrent powers for example and the state legislates on them, then the state will be able to adjust its tax laws.
Also, I think the time has come for the issue of public holidays to be made under a concurrent legislative list, a public holiday in Nigeria today belongs to the federal government and it is illegal for any state to give a public holiday because it is on the exclusive legislative list but I advocate that it should be transferred to concurrent legislative list.”
He advised the legislators to familiarize themselves with the history of the federal republic of Nigeria.
“Legislators ought to know that there are 326, eight chapters and seven schedules in the constitution. They must be able to exploit those provisions within the constitution that permit the local authority, particularly at the state houses of Assembly.
“Lagos House of Assembly has an abounding duty to exploit the legal resources that are available in the constitution for the good of his people. There is no reason Lagos should not have its railway and electricity.”
He added that it is unworthy for the federal government to confiscate all the powers, it is understandable if you say the constitution was made under the military regime where people are more interested in the centralization of power but we have had the democratic system for more the two decades, the time is now for legislators in Nigeria to just limit exclusive preserve for the federal government to just ten items, which should include defence, banking, money, currency, external affairs.”
He said the state should have the legal opportunity to be able to develop on its own and generate its resources.
“I cannot emphasize enough the idea that the personal income tax need to be made into a concurrent power over which the state should have the power to legislate personal income tax of the resident of the state and not be interfered with by the federal government except the income and taxes that has to be levied on the armed force of the federation and resident of the federal capital Abuja,” he said.
