Emmanuel Thomas
November 23, 2015 – The stage appear set for direct confrontation between the Lagos State House of Assembly and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem over the later’s request to the house to suspend further legislation on 15 bills pending before it.
The affected bills are Lagos State Public Private Partnership Amendment bill 2013 ; Lagos State Sunset Agency bill 2013 ; Lagos State Police Regulatory Authority bill 2014 ; Lagos State Public Works Corporation 2014 ;Lagos State Examination Board bill 2014 ; Seal of Lagos State Government Amendment bill 2014 and Lagos State Public Procurement Agency repeal and re-enactment bill 2014.
Others are Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection bill 2014 ; Lagos State Tourism Promotion Agency bill 2014 ; Ibile Holding Corporation bill 2014 ; Lagos State Safety Commission Swimming Pool Regulations 2014 ; Lagos State Water Infrastructure Development Fishery Regulation Bill 2014 and Lagos State Waterways Authority Boat Safety regulation 2014.
Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa at the plenary directed Clerk of the House, Ganiyu Abiru to invite the Attorney General for a meeting with the Principal Officers of the House over the request to clear grey areas.
The Speaker said that it was important to have a meeting with the Attorney General since he was new on the seat.
The commissioner had requested that the House should stop legislative activities on outstanding bills inherited from previous assemblies.
Leading the debate, Majority Leader of the House, Sanai Agunbiade, disclosed that he had earlier received a letter dated November 2, from the Commissioner through the Clerk of the House calling on the Assembly to revive the pending bills from the executive.
Agunbiade however said that the latest letter was contradictory to the first one and that it was wrong for the commissioner to have called for suspension of the bills.
“The call was unnecessary because there is room for the executive to make amendments during public hearings that would be called by the House on the Bills. We cannot stop work on the bills as against the request of the Attorney General. So I will suggest that we should continue working on them,” he said.
This opinion was supported by Bisi Yusuff, who also said that the suggestion of the Attorney General was wrong, adding that the lawmakers should be allowed to do their job.
Also speaking, Gbolahan Yishawu said that the executive could send any additions to the bills to the House rather than calling for suspension of work on them.
The Chief Whip of the House, Rotimi Abiru, also stated that each arm of the government has its own responsibilities and therefore cautioned against unnecessary interference.
