Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) yesterday said
there was nothing wrong with the House of Representatives summoning President
Goodluck Jonathan to appear before it to answer questions on the insecurity in
the country.
The governor spoke in Lagos when he
received House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha and some
principal officers of the House in his office in Ikeja.
He said: “If the legislature summons
you, you should respond. But I understand that it’s a learning call. Mondays
usually are our council meetings. If a House of Assembly summons a
commissioner, he has to go and answer. Each ministry has a budget. It’s the
right of the people to know because their constituencies ought to know.
Thirteen years is not an enough period for us to run as fast as a democracy
that has been on for about 600 years. We ought to avoid making the mistakes we
make.”
The President has sent his aides to
liaise with the leadership of the House of Representatives over the lawmakers’
invitation, it was learnt yesterday.
But Dr Jonathan has not formally or
otherwise communicated if and when he will appear before the House.
House spokesman Zakari Mohammed told
reporters in Abuja that though the President was aware of the invitation, he
has not said anything about when he would appear before the lawmakers.
“I am aware that President Jonathan has
sent his aides to the leadership of the House on the invitation, but there has
not been any formal correspondence from the President on when he will honour
the invitation,” Mohammed said.
According to him, the invitation should
not be taken out of context, because of the security situation in the
country.
Mohammed said: “It is supposed to be an
interface. Since it is a security matter, it should be done behind closed doors
where we will rub minds and exchange ideas. As we can see, since the invitation
came up, the President has been taking some steps. It may just be that the
invitation was a wakeup call for the President on the security situation.”
Fashola hailed the role of the House at
ensuring that the nation is making progress.
The governor noted that respecting the
summons by lawmakers is an opportunity for public officers to defend their
actions before those who elected them to office.
He explained that the nation’s 13 years
of democracy is still at a learning process but with room for improvement.
Fashola called for more understanding
of the role of the legislature to ensure that Nigeria’s democracy grows
steadily.
He said: “I know that it is a learning
call for all of us, in spite of its imperfections; it’s a big leap. We need to
understand our legislative arm: how it works, what its powers are, what its
role is, and what it should do. I think the more we all understand that the
legislative arm is as much the part of government that enables things to
happen, the better for the people to share information about
development.”
The governor hailed Ihedioha for his
lecture at a forum organised by students of University of Lagos (UNILAG).
He said such experiences would guide
the students on what it takes to serve in public offices.
Fashola added: “Some of our colleagues
have only found time to go back to the Ivory Towers to receive honorary
degrees. I think going back there to share what you have been doing with public
time and public trust will perhaps inspire some of those young boys and girls
into a quest for service in the public sphere.”
Ihedioha hailed the governor for the
continuous transformation of the state.
The lawmaker said the House, in its
quest to seek for further autonomy “Will seek support of democrats like you to
achieve it in tandem with the National Assembly”