‘State Assemblies Must Fight For Autonomy’

The Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Adewale Omirin, has charged his colleagues in the country to do everything possible to attain independence from the two other arms of government – executive and judiciary.

Omirin, who led members of the Ekiti House of Assembly on a sensitisation visit to the Lagos State House of Assembly, Thursday, said only when the State Houses of Assembly become autonomous would they be able to work effectively, meet the expectations of the people and become successful like the Lagos State House of Assembly.

The Ekiti Speaker, who recently faced impeachment threats from his colleagues at the State House of Assembly, also urged the various Houses of Assembly to review the law concerning the procedures for impeachment of principal officers and make it more complex to implement.

He appealed to the National Assembly as well as his colleagues at the various Houses of Assembly to push for autonomy, both financial and otherwise, in the current review of the country’s constitution and further appealed to the Lagos Assembly for support in the establishment of House of Assembly Service Commission in all states of the federation just as it operates in Lagos.

According to the visiting Speaker and his colleagues, the legislature, especially at the state level is a mere appendage of the executive arm of government contrary to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution which emphasises separation of powers.

Assessing the achievements he and his colleagues saw in Lagos State on their visit, Omirin said: “it is obvious that the independence of the legislature is superficial as there can be no true independence without financial autonomy.

“As required by the constitution, the state legislature had the opportunity of voting for the financial autonomy of the National and State Assemblies but unfortunately turned its back on itself by voting against financial autonomy for state legislature.

“The virility of the National Assembly to which we are all witnesses is a testimony of the benefit of its true independence.

“When the legislature is dependent on the executive, it may not be able to enforce civil and political rights of the people and may be constrained in checking the executive and demand performance from it.

“The legislature must be financially autonomous to be virile, potent and courageous to be on the side of the people and to speak up when the executive is going off the track.

“It will also be easy for parliamentarians to scrutinise bills brought before them and make required adjustments without fear of financial strangulation.”

Commending the the Ekiti lawmakers for the visit, Deputy Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Kolawole Taiwo, said Lagos Assembly had enjoyed mutual love and respect from the executive arm and that this was why the House is achieving a lot of feats.

In the review of the constitution in 2010, the Lagos State House of Assembly supported financial autonomy while other state legislators kicked against it.

The agitation for autonomy however began when the Conference of Speakers visited Lagos last year for the commissioning of the ultra-modern chamber of the House.

—Eromosele Ebhomele