Unrepentant Time Wasters

It is now common in the Lagos State House of Assembly to hear staff and visitors describe the state lawmakers as unrepentant time wasters. Even the lawmakers themselves now make vague references to it.

The new description of the lawmakers, by those who coined the phrase, is not meant to down-play the successes they have achieved so far that make the House one of the best in the country but it stems from the fact that they have placed on themselves the toga of sitting when they like without consideration for the staff, the journalists covering the House, visitors and students who come to the House on excursion.

The House sits three times a week— Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Mondays, they are supposed to begin sittings by 12 a.m while on other days, they are to begin by 10 am.

At the special session of the House held last year to close the legislative activities of the sixth Assembly, Speaker of the House, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, had promised that sittings would be held as early as possible in the seventh Assembly.

He had apologised after some of the lawmakers raised the complaints about the lack of regards for time on days when they are to hold plenary and that sittings should not take their entire days since they have other activities to carry out on a daily basis.

However, the only period the adherence to time was observed was the first month of this seventh session. In fact, everyone is now used to the leadership of the House apologising at every sitting for the late commencement of the sitting.

It is now also common to hear lawmakers saying they are waiting for “them to call us for sitting” when asked why they have not commenced plenary.

The lawmakers come in the mornings on days when sittings are to hold and they idle away till about 3 p.m when the alarm notifying them of the commencement of the sitting is switched on.

At this time, some are already tired for a sitting that would not end until 7 p.m or 8 p.m in most cases.

For the staff, they have almost become used to getting to the office as early as 8 a.m and leaving the House at between 8 p.m and 9 p.m on days that the lawmakers would sit.

The only time they are free to close like their fellow civil servants is when the House is on recess.

The journalists too have learnt to sit and wait endlessly for the commencement of sittings to the extent that sometimes, journalists seconded to the House leave for other meaningful activities in protest against late commencement of sittings.

After getting to the House as early as 9 am, visitors to the House and students on excursion have always left the chamber sometimes immediately after they have been welcomed by the Speaker during plenary in the evenings.

For the journalists, apart from the challenge of not meeting deadlines for the submission of stories, leaving the Assembly at night becomes a nightmare for them and staff of the Assembly as there are hardly enough vehicles to take them to their destinations.

—Eromosele Ebhomele