Former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly and a Minister, Olorunnibe Mamora, has urged the newly sworn-in Speaker of The Lagos State House of Assembly, Mojisola Meranda, to avoid possible banana peels during her tenure for her to succeed.
Mamora had earlier described the controversial removal of the immediate past Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, as “constitutional.”
This is coming as Meranda officially occupied the office of the Speaker on Monday, ending controversy over the leadership of the Assembly after ousted speaker Obasa, upon his return from America last Saturday, announced he remained the Speaker of the house despite his removal by an over two-thirds majority of members, which he claimed was “unconstitutional.”
Obasa claimed that the Assembly did not follow due process for the removal.
On January 13, 2025, 35 out of the 40 members of the Assembly removed the embattled former Speaker over allegations of misconduct and mismanagement of funds and replaced him with his former Deputy, Mojisola Lasbat-Meranda.
Mamora was the former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly from 1999 to 2003. He was also Chairman of the Conference of Speakers from 2000 to 200, Senator representing the Lagos East Senatorial District from 2003 to 2011, Minister of State for Health from 2019 to 2022, and Minister of Science and Technology from 2022 to 2023 under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mamora was elected to the Senate in April 2003 and reelected in 2007. He was also a member of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWA, Parliament from 2003 to 2006. In 2003, he was appointed chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.
After resuming his seat in the Senate in 2007, he was appointed to committees on Upstream Petroleum Resources, Selection Committee, Health and Federal Character & Inter-Government Affairs.
In a mid-term evaluation of Senators in May 2009, he sponsored bills on Tenure of Office, the Surgeon-General of Nigeria and repeal and amendment of the Tobacco Control Act. He also sponsored or co-sponsored motions, including one to amend Senate Rule 111 to bring it into conformity with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Mamora was described as a master of parliamentary procedures.
In an exclusive interview with our correspondent, Mamora wished the new Speaker a successful tenure and advised her on what to avoid and do.
He says, “I think Lagos state already has something to bask in. I think more than any other state in this country, Lagos State has produced more prominent deputy governors than any other state, to the best of my knowledge, if I am right, in this country.
“So, that’s a good thing. In some other states, there are some states of the country that have produced female speakers, which Lagos has not produced until now.
“So, again, I said it’s a plus. Lagos State has now come into the fold of states with a female Speaker, so that’s a plus. Gender equality, yes, gender sensitivity, whichever way you put it.
“That is, it’s not just enough to say, oh, we have produced a female speaker; what is more important is for the holder of that office now, who happens to be a female, to now justify that position.
“Now, she has been given a chance. As Yoruba would say, “Ise lama bi ni wa, aki nbani se ise,” meaning you only help someone to get a job. You don’t do that job for the person.
“So, it’s now time for her to do the job in line with the people’s expectations. And first, the first expectation is the expectation of his colleagues, I mean, of her colleagues.
“Because she has been, she has been called upon to serve as a leader of the Lagos State. That is the first assignment. She’s been called to provide leadership for the Legos State.
“So, that’s the first assignment for her, which is to justify that leadership call on her. That’s the first thing. And, of course, once she does that well, she will be satisfied with the assignment that the entire state has given her as Speaker of Legos State House of Assembly. The Assembly is a representation of the people of the state.
“Secondly, she is also to justify the women folk. Because yes, many women were dancing and rejoicing, and yes, we had also arrived. But she also needs to explain the expectations of those women in the states, the women of Legos State. She must also work hard to justify the joy of having a female speaker.
“Thirdly, is to ensure that the pit into which her predecessor fell, she must not fall into the same pit or put differently. In the legislature, we talk about banana peels.
“Banana peel, you step on it, it slips. So, you should not step on a banana peel. What does she need to do? Let her look at those allegations against her predecessor. In that statement, as read out, the colleagues talked of high-handedness, financial misappropriation, or whatever. They spoke of unfairness to their colleagues.
“They talked of intimidation. So, she should have a look at those things. And when she looks at those things, what does she do? She must ensure that she does not do similar things that her predecessor was accused of. Of course, if those allegations are true.
“Fourthly, I think she needs to constantly, and I repeat, continually do what I call reality checks.
“You see, my faith, the faith I profess is Christianity. Our Lord Jesus Christ, at some point, called his disciples and asked what people think of me; that is a reality check.
“Call your colleagues regularly and ask how I am doing on this assignment. You can even go to the most hostile or seen as unfriendly to you and ask for advice and assessment. Converse with them individually.
“They are your colleagues, not an enemy or less critical. You are all elected into the house. I do visit colleagues individually during my tenure. That is a relationship. Those were the things I was doing as a speaker, and I never looked back, but it paid out. By the grace of God, I never felt threatened.
“You can’t be perfect; you should be fair and be seen to be fair, just and be template. Respect your colleagues and equality. You must constantly remind yourself of that reality.
“Finally, financial accountability and transparency should be her watchword. I put in place a fund management committee during my tenure to manage whatever funds were available for the house. The committee will determine and prioritize projects that align with our agenda.
“The committee will come up with recommendations and have closed-door parliamentary meetings where the chairman of the committee will present, and the house as a whole will pass, and I, as a speaker, sign for approval as the head. That is transparency. And I have my record of financial disbursement from the collective tools of the house. That was why I had a smooth tenure by God’s grace.
“And also, as a leader, the Speaker should know that they know. That means she has to read. Master your rules and Constitution so that your colleagues cannot bamboozle you on the floor of the house. That will give confidence.
“So, when any member is going out the way, you use the proper instrumentality of the rules to call them to order. You must be conversant with the Constitution. There is so much to do.
“Then again, and very important, you must maintain cordiality with the executive arm. There has to be cordiality. Because respect begets respect, you respect the Governor, and the Governor will respect you back; the same goes for the chief judge, commissioner, clerk, and even staff of the Assembly, as well as journalists. Respect is mutual and reciprocal.
“Also, constantly remind yourself that the position is transient, temporary. Even life is transient. It’s just for a while.
