By Ayodele Oni
Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Adeoye Aribasoye, and his counterparts in Oyo and Osun States, Adebo Ogundoyin and Adewale Egbedun, respectively have entered into a working relationship to ensure stronger legislature in Southwest Nigeria.
The three Speakers made their resolve known in Ado Ekiti on Thursday during a working visit to the Ekiti State House of Assembly by Oyo and Osun legislators, as part of efforts to deepen peer review, comparing of notes, presenting a common front strengthening working relationship in the interest of the people they represent.
The visit to Ekiti by legislators from Oyo and Osun States was part of their whistle-stop visits to all the legislatures in the Southwest with a visit to the Ondo State House of Assembly as the next stop in the collaboration agenda.
The visiting Oyo and Osun legislators also attended and observed a plenary session held in their honour at the Ekiti Assembly hallowed chambers.
The motion to allow the two visiting Speakers to address the Ekiti Assembly was moved by the legislator representing Ekiti West Constituency two, Oyekola Bode-Adeoye and was seconded by his counterpart representing Oye Constituency two, Idowu Odebunmi.
In moving the motion, Bode-Adeoye said the visit of the two Speakers was “official and historic.”
Speaking while hosting his counterparts from the two neighbouring states, Ekiti Speaker, Aribasoye stressed the importance of parliament describing it as the essence of democracy because it contains the elected representatives of the people noting that “without legislature, there is no democracy.”
Aribasoye explained that there is need for all the state legislatures in the Southwest to always come together and sustain deep, fruitful and rewarding working relationship, noting that the parley was a follow-up to a recent meeting in Abuja in which they developed “one for all, all for one agenda.”
While noting that the legislature is faced with what he called “complex and demanding challenges,” Aribasoye said the heads of the legislatures in the geopolitical zone must come out with measures to navigate the identified “landmines” for the institution of the parliament to be protected.
Ekiti Speaker said: “Our coming together is about peer review and cross fertilization of ideas, presenting common positions collaboration and establishing solid working relationship among ourselves in the interest of the people we represent.
“We also discussed about digitalized parliament, what happened in Delta State so that we can learn about it because it is about learning process. The Southwest has always been in the forefront for change and innovations.
“We can even have a special plenary that will combine all the six State Assemblies in the Southwest together. Oyo can host it, Ekiti is not afraid of hosting it as well. We should begin to work on it and let this form part of our agenda.”
In his remarks, the Oyo Speaker, Ogundoyin, described the visit as a handshake between Oyo, Osun and Ekiti States to share notes and bring the Southwest States together for the purpose of accelerated development.
Ogundoyin said there is nothing concrete that can be achieved without the legislative arm noting arguing for the strengthening of the legislature because the system on ground had empowered executive more than other arms of government.
He described the Ekiti Assembly as one of the most productive in Nigeria noting that the Sixth Assembly in Ekiti under the late former Speaker, Funminiyi Afuye, had passed a total number of 97 bills at a stage while the Ninth Oyo Assembly he presided over at the same time had managed to pass 38 bills.
The Oyo Speaker harped on the passage of quality bills that touch the lives of the constituents noting that “it is good to pass less bills with more impact than to pass more bills with less impact.”
Speaking on the collaboration, Rt. Hon. Ogundoyin said: “We have to foster ways to empower the legislature. We must reach out to bordering states to share notes, to share ideas and for ideas to be shared, it has to be under a relaxed atmosphere.
“We will compare notes on areas where we are lacking and where we can learn from one another. There are so many things we can share the issue of financial autonomy. This is the time for us to come together, this is the time for us to stick together.”
Osun Speaker, Egbedun, expressed gratitude for the reception accorded the visiting legislators stressing the need for strengthening of the bond between the parliaments of the neighboring states.
Egbedun said the visit signified the importance of fostering interstate collaboration for legislative excellence and sharing working experiences.
He added that he would be looking forward to receiving Ekiti legislators for a working visit to Osun Assembly in near future.
