Obasa charges members-elect on effective discharge of legislative responsibilities

The Speaker of the Lagos state House of Assembly, Rt (Hon) Mudashiru Obasa, has charged the lawmakers-elect to effectively discharge their legislative responsibilities when the 10th Assembly is proclaimed in June.

Obasa made the charge while declaring open a 3-day induction programme for the 40 members-elect in Lagos.

He explained that the members-elect must understand that they were not representing their personal interest but the interest of their constituents, tasking them to eschew greed and selfishness while carrying out their legislative duties.

Obasa, who explained the importance of the legislature in a democracy, added that lawmakers have special roles to play in strengthening the institution.

The Speaker, while congratulating the members-elect, especially those getting into the House for the first time, charged them to remain conscious of the reason they were elected to represent the millions of Lagos residents.

“How do we represent our people? By putting their interests forward beyond personal interest. It is also to have the political will to be able to oversight on other arms of government.

“The day you start thinking about yourself and your personal interest is the day you start betraying the people you represent.

“We must guide against greed and selfishness. Greed will set you against the House and selfishness will set you against those you represent and it will not do you any good.

“For this reason, you must do away with greed and selfishness if you truly want to succeed as a lawmaker. Always know that it is when you serve your people wholeheartedly that you would have enough reasons to judge yourself adequately.

“You must learn to be passionate about your institution and be ambassadors of the House. We must work together irrespective of the party through which you came to the House. Elections are gone and we are one now in the interest of our people,” Obasa said.

Earlier speaking on the theme: ‘Towards A Responsive and participatory governance – prospects, opportunities and challenges’, the Clerk of the House, Mr Olalekan Onafeko, said the training was critical to how the 10th Assembly would conduct its business.

“This is because the Lagos Assembly is built in a way that other Houses of Assembly learn from it,” he said.

He appealed to the lawmakers-elect to be open to learning so that they can contribute to making the House a better institution and Lagos a better place.

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