As against the usual legislative norm, the Lagos State House of Assembly on Friday through a memo announced the reshuffling of chairmen of standing committees of the House, to make good speaker Mudashiru Obasa’s declaration during the week that there was no going back on action taken against four lawmakers in the House.
The usual practice is to make such announcements, both constituting and reshuffling standing committees, on the floor of the House during plenary; the reconstitution is to further consolidate the removal of two principal officers and suspension of two other members.
The internal memo which was signed by the Clerk of the House, Azeez Sanni and dated 20th of March, 2020 was addressed to all honourable members and staff, and titled, “Reconstitution of House Committees’.
Those affected in the reshuffle are the two removed principal officers who were removed as Chief Whip, Hon. Rotimi Abiru and Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. Olumuyiwa Jimoh; as well as the two suspended members, Hon. Moshood Oshun and Hon. Adewale Raheem.
According to the memo, Abiru is now chairman of Inter-Parliamentary committee while Jimoh is to chair the Committee on Central Business District (CBD);
Oshun was removed as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (State) and now Chairman of Committee on Legislative Compliance, while Raheem is now the Chairman of Establishments, Training and Pensions from his earlier position of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations swapping office with Hon Rasheed Makinde.
Hon Nurudeen Saka-Solaja is now the Chairman of PAC (State), while Hon (Mrs.) Mojisola Alli-Macaulay replaces Hon (Mrs) Mojisola Miranda as Chairman of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Committee. Mrs Miranda is now the Chief Whip.
Though the House said it has set up a committee to resolve the issues that has resulted in crisis, but at plenary during the week, Obasa said there was no more need for the reconciliation committee headed by Hon. Ibrahim Layode because of an interview Abiru granted a daily newspaper on the crises in the House.
The speaker also declared at the same plenary where lawmakers present at sitting passed a vote of confidence in him that there was no going back on the action taken against the four lawmakers by the House.
The latest development may have confirmed Obasa’s earlier assertion during the week that there was no going back on the action taken against the lawmaker. (The Nation)
