Connect with us

News

Lagos Assembly explains N17m monthly expenditure on Speaker’s houses

Published

on

Lagos Assembly explains N17m monthly expenditure on Speaker's houses

The Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday debunked reports making the rounds that it was spending N17 million monthly, to maintain the guest house and offices of the Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa.

The lawmakers made the denial while speaking during plenary, describing the allegation as baseless and misleading.

The Clerk of the House, Mr Azeez Sanni, called the attention of the lawmakers to the report published by an online newspaper (not Ripples Nigeria) on April 26, explaining that the report was erroneous and aimed at putting the House in bad light.

According to Sanni, the money in question “covers various expenditure of the full offices; the Office of the Chief of Staff, Special Advisers, office of the Chief Press Secretary, Special Assistant (Protocol), Special Assistant (Research and Development), Special Assistant (Women Affairs), and 15 Special Assistants engaged to attend to the growing demands and specialty of the House.

Sanni said: “I must also state that this expenditures have been in existence prior the emergence of Speaker Obasa. In fact it is dated back to as far as 2012 when it was N27 million monthly and I have the document here to show that the expenditure had been in existence since 2012.”

On the allegation that the company handling the project was registered in 2015, same year Speaker Obasa emerged, the Clerk wondered how a company supposedly registered in 2015 would be engaged in 2018 if it is truly in the Speaker’s interest.

In his contribution, the lawmaker representing Somolu Constituency 1 and Chairman House Committee On Finance, Hon. Rotimi Olowo, condemned the report, adding that the news medium was not professional and ethical in their style of journalism.

“I believe if it is truly investigative journalism that the medium is practising, it should be able to get the other side of the issue before they rush to publish lies.

“…If a contractor makes an overture to the House for contract bidding, it is not just what he came with but what the House eventually agree. I remember in 2012, I was a member of this House and I remember the amount that was budgeted was N27 monthly but when Obasa emerged as Speaker he reduced it to N17 million,” Olowo said.

Read also: COVID-19: Nasarawa govt tracks, returns 4 escapees to quarantine centre

He further declared that “I think the news medium needs to be cautioned as it has shown that whatever that is giving them is published without crosschecking. Mr Speaker, this House has the power to sue because the lies by this medium is getting to much.”

On his part, Hon. Temitope Adewale (Ifako Ijaiye 2), who corroborated Olowo, stated that the publisher was a presidential loser who was alleged of mismanaging his party’s campaign fund.

“The same man was the party presidential candidate and at the same time the party national chairman. We don’t need to waste our time over his publication, we can explore the legal means by suing the medium,” said Adewale.

Hon. Gbolahon Yishawu ( Eti Osa 2) in his contribution, said that the online publication was trying to incite the general public against the Speaker and the House of Assembly, stressing that an attack on Obasa is an attack on the whole members.

Yishawu stated that the report was published to reduce the image of the House to nothing, adding that the medium lacks fact.

The Chairman, House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, Hon. Tunde Braimoh, added that the medium did not reach out to the House to get their own side of the story, adding that the report was malicious and should be totally ignored.

Speaking on the issue, the Speaker Obasa explained that it was necessary to correct the wrong impression created by the medium to the general public by letting them know that the House is not reckless or frivolous on its spendings.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now