| By Olalekan Adetayo | | | Sunday, 22 May 2011 |
A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), has warned the newly-elected members of state and national assemblies against being rubber stamp of the executive arm of government.
Akeredolu gave the warning in Ibadan on Saturday at the opening of a two-day retreat organised by the Oyo State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria for its lawmakers.
He spoke on the theme: “The legislature, good governance and the search for sustainable development in Nigeria.”
Rather than constituting a rubber stamp legislature, Akeredolu urged them to ensure that they carry out their duties of being checks and balances for the executive at all times.
The legal luminary charged them to thrive to be abreast with happenings around the world so that they could make laws that would bring positive changes to the society.
“A good party must know what its stands for. Otherwise you can’t guide people and followers in a meaningful direction. You must be resolute on your bills until they are passed into law. You have the opportunity to grab the offer of immortality. If people remember you for good, you have become immortal,” he said.
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Earlier, the ACN leader in the state, Alhaji Lam Adesina, had called on them not to see their election as an avenue to make quick money at the detriment of the masses.
He said it was important for them to deliver on their electoral promises as well as the ones promised by the party on whose platform they achieve their electoral success.
He also urged them to be accountable to the electorate and to the party.
He implored them not to destroy the party by seeing themselves as new leaders, but to work within its operational guidelines and framework.
He said, “It is not for you to go and be stealing but to help the party deliver on its campaign promises. Put it in mind that the manifestoes of the party must be implemented.”
Justifying the retreat, the party’s state chairman, Chief Akin Oke, said it was necessary in view of the fact that the state assembly had come under criticism for its alleged poor legislation in recent years.
He said the lawmakers-elect needed to be enlightened in the art of legislation to be able to bring back the quality witnessed in days of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
The elected legislators at the retreat comprised Senators-elect, Ayo Adeseun, Femi Lanlehin and Abiodun Awoleye. |