A professor of Political Science, Rotimi Ajayi, has urged legislators to demonstrate the capacity and will to be truly independent if the legislature must remain relevant as an important arm of the democratic process.
Ajayi made the call in his lecture titled, “The Importance of Oversight Functions in Legislative Business” at the third annual lecture of the Policy and Lawmakers Magazine on Wednesday in Lokoja.
The Federal University, Lokoja, lecturer said the constitutional responsibility of the legislature to check the executive had never been in doubt but the ability or willingness of the legislators to perform the role had been contentious.
Ajayi, who is also a former Vice Chancellor, Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State, said, “in some instances, the executive, which holds the proverbial knife and yam, prevents the legislature from performing this role through unnecessary interferences.
“In others instances, it has been the display of gross incapacity by the legislative arm. Other instances are: party loyalty, indiscipline, corruption and lobbying for membership of ‘juicy’ legislative committees.”
He held that the the executive and the judiciary must also respect their constitutional boundaries by allowing the legislature to perform its assigned constitutional duties according to the principle of separation of powers.
Ajayi said the legislature on its part must demonstrate the capacity and will to be truly independent by rising above mundane party considerations and personal aggrandisement, and placing the integrity of the institution above any other consideration.
Rt. Hon. Ahmed Alfa Imam, former Speaker of Kogi House of Assembly and chairman of the occasion, described the legislature as the core arm of government in a democracy, and oversight function as livewire of legislation.
Imam said, “Where there is absence or failure of oversight function, that Assembly is dead and the state and its people are in trouble because without oversight you cannot have good governance.”
Mr Aliyu Aku, former Deputy Speaker, who represented Omala constituency, implored Nigerians to disregard buck passing.
“Let us leave lamentations to reorganise ourselves and confront our challenges rather than trading blames,” he said.
Ogungbemi commented their diligence and commitment to duty, upholding a strong integrity and determination to positively affect the standard of living of the people of Kogi State through legislations while they served.
“In view of your contributions, ‘The Policy and Lawmakers Magazine’ has put up this event to honour all the legislators that served between 1999 and 2015 for your collective contributions to uplift humanity,” he said.
The publisher hinted that the theme of this year’s lecture was carefully chosen to further broaden the knowledge of the current and future legislators as well as the general public on Legislative oversight functions.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the occasion also featured presentation of awards to the former legislators to reassure them that their efforts were not in vain. (NAN)
