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Mudashiru Obasa: Celebrating A Legislator Per Excellence, A Bridge Builder

Published

5 years ago

November 12, 2018

Sahara Weekly

By Musbau Rasak

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On his election as the Speaker of the 8th Lagos State House of Assembly in 8 June 2015, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, assured Lagosians then, that he will preside over a Legislative House they will be proud of.
Rt. Hon. Obasa assured that under his Speakership, the Lagos State House of Assembly will always rise far and above the ‘common standard of excellence’.
As he celebrates his birthday on 11 November, it is pertinent to note that more than three years after his election as the head of the Legislative Arm of government in the state, his achievements in that period stand him out as the leading state lawmaker in Nigeria.
That Rt. Hon. Obasa is committed to legislative excellence is an open secret. It is well known that the Lagos House of Assembly Speaker is a leading light in the struggle for the emancipation of the Legislative Arm of Government and giving the Parliament Institution its rightful place in governance in the country.
“The Parliament is the bastion of democracy and for me it’s the most important arm of government, without the Parliament, there won’t be anything called Democracy hence it’s our collective duty to ensure the protection of the Parliament so that the interest of the people is protected,” Rt. Hon. Obasa had submitted in many of his interaction with people and the media.
More than three years into his tenure, Rt. Hon. Obasa has indeed been making waves as a Legislator per excellence.
As the leading lawmaker in the state, the Lagos Assembly Speaker has led by example in term of legislative duty. To date, he has initiated about six Private Member Bills, the first and only Speaker to have achieve that in Lagos history. It is also pertinent to note that most of his Private Member Bills have had direct positive impacts on the people of the state.
The Neighbourhood Watch Law is an example of such law. Apart from encouraging and promoting community policing in the state which has reduced crimes, the Law has led to the establishment of the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC) which has given employment to thousands of Lagos youths.
Another Law worthy of note is the Anti-kidnapping Law which has reduced cases of kidnapping in the state.
Yet another law worthy of mention is the Cancer Institute Law which sought to create an Institute for research, prevention, detection and treatment of various types of cancer in the state.
Perhaps one of the greatest Laws that emanated from the Lagos Assembly under his watch is the Yoruba Language Preservation and Promotion Law. This Law, which was promulgated to preserve, promote Yoruba Language and prevent it from going into extinction, is another Private Member Bill from the Speaker and today it has improved the use of the language by youths especially students. Today, Yoruba Language is a compulsory subject in Lagos schools which has improved the promotion of the language.
As an administrator, Rt. Hon. Obasa has ensured that he kept with and improve on the tradition of constant training of lawmakers and staff of the Lagos State House of Assembly making them arguably the most trained in the country.
He introduced the live streaming of plenary sessions of the House, the first Parliament in Nigeria to do that and second in Africa after South Africa. He introduced and ensured the presence of the House on the Social Media with all its icons very active.
One of his greatest achievements is the introduction of the annual Stakeholders’ Meeting which takes place simultaneously in all the 40 constituencies in the state. This is the barometer for measuring the performance of each lawmaker annually while also giving the constituents the opportunity to lay their grievances and demands before the government. The reports from these stakeholders’ meetings thus, have served as annual major components of the state budget.
His leadership qualities are not doubt and today, he had steered the affairs of the state Assembly successfully making it the most peaceful Parliament in Nigeria.
As a bridge builder, he is not only a man of peace, he also upholds the philosophy of love sharing among the people. When he successfully engineered the defection of seven Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members of the House to the All Progressives Congress (APC) two years ago, the defecting members were unanimous in why they joined APC: Obasa is a bridge builder who had not only welcome them into the House with open arms but has also given them real sense of belonging in the affairs of the House despite their being members of the opposition party. “His leadership qualities are unique and we love the way he is leading us in the House,” they chorused.
Many still remember the leadership roles he played in bringing peace and tranquility to the fold of APC in Agege and beyond.
It’s noteworthy to submit that his achievements have not gone unnoticed as he has been honoured locally and outside the country for his efforts in promoting the Institution of Parliament and ensuring legislative excellence.
In February, Rt. Hon. Obasa was named the Best State Legislator in Nigeria by the Independent Newspapers Limited, publishers of Daily, Saturday and Sunday Independent newspapers.
In July, he was honoured and presented with a Certificate of Recognition by the African Bar Association (ABA) during their conference in Nairobi, Kenya.
In August, he was elected the Chairman of Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria during their conference in Lagos.
Today, Rt. Hon. Obasa rank as the most experienced lawmaker in Lagos State, having started his career as a lawmaker at the grassroots level when he served as a Councillor representing Ward E in Agege Local Government between 1999 and 2002 before his election into the House of Assembly to represent Agege Constituency 1 since 2003.
Indeed, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa is worth celebrating.
Many Happy Returns Sir.

Musbau Rasak is the Chief Press Secretary to Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa

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Nigerian Prophet, Tomi Arayomi Heals Man Who Has Been Deaf For 47 Years (VIDEO)

Published

14 hours ago

April 29, 2024

Sahara Weekly

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Popular Nigerian prophet and founder of Rig Nation, Tomi Arayomi has healed an ex-naval officer who has been deaf for 47 years.

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In a video shared on the prophet’s social media page, the ex-naval officer was seen jubilating after he was miraculously healed by God through the hands of Prophet Tomi Arayomi.

The Ex-naval officer confirmed that he had been deaf during his navy days in 1977 and couldn’t hear with one of his ears until God healed him through the ministry of Prophet Tomi Arayomi.

In the video, he was asked to cover the good ear with his finger to further confirm that he could properly hear with the previously bad one and once again, he heard everything that was said clearly.

WATCH VIDEO BELOW

Only God!!! X naval officer was healed after almost 50 years of deafness! pic.twitter.com/73kGRMirt9

— TomiArayomi (@TomiArayomi) April 28, 2024

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World Malaria Day 2024: Moment of Excitements and Gratitude as Shalina Gives Back to the Society

Published

15 hours ago

April 29, 2024

Sahara Weekly

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It was a moment of great excitement and gratitude, as a leading multinational pharmaceutical company in Nigeria, Shalina Healthcare marked this year’s World Malaria Day with a variety of events to create awareness about the deadly disease and at the same time use the opportunity to give back to the people. The WMD activities powered by Shal’Artem, (a brand of Antimalaria from Shalina Healthcare) Commenced at Campos Mini Stadium, Lagos Island on April 21st and ended at Ayangburen Market, Sabo, Ikorodu; Lagos on Thursday 25th 2024.

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Speaking on the main concept of the activities, Mr Chiuba Nwaosu, the Marketing Manager, Shalina Healthcare said; “the brands effort was to accelerate the fight against Malaria to a new level via infusing Sport, entertainment, Sanitation, Free test & treatment exercise to raise awareness about malaria.

The football match, titled “Join the Cast” with Shal’Artem as official antimalarial, and Rear Admiral Anakwe as the Special Guest of Honor, also had active participation of some top Nigerian celebrities and entertainers like Frank Idoho, Ali Baba, I Go Save, Akpororo amongst others.”

This was followed by a wide scale Free Clean up exercise across 3 Markets in Ikorodu Lagos (Sabo, Alison & Ladega) to emphasis the importance of a clean environment to prevent the breeding of Mosquitoes.

The exercise ended with free malaria testing & prompt treatment of positive cases with Shal’Artem. Over 300 ecstatic market men, Women, Children & Artisans received free gifts at the end of the screening exercise.

The brand gesture is a commitment to ensuring that every Nigerian has a right to quality, affordable & accessible healthcare.

Appreciating the company, the Iyaloja of Ayangburen Market, Sabo, Ikorodu, Alhaja Mutiat Abeni Ojulari said, “Shalina has done greatly with this gesture. The free drugs and medical tests are very necessary in this time. We are very grateful to them for thinking about us. I pray that God will bless the company and everyone involved.”

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The Many Lies Of EFCC Against Kogi Ex-Governor, Yahaya Bello Exposed

Published

3 days ago

April 27, 2024

Sahara Weekly

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The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) under the leadership of Olanipekun Olukoyede has taken a different dimension that can be best described as the ‘lowest low’ since the commission came into existence.

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Under the leadership of Olanipekun Olukoyode, EFCC, a commission that should serve the interest of every Nigerian has been turned to a weapon of destruction probably under the influence of some individuals who want to get back at their opponents.

The emergence of EFCC was to basically go after economic and financial crimes within the provision of the law but nowadays, what we see the commission do is totally against the law.

In the case of the former governor of Kogi state, EFCC has turned itself to a ‘court of law’ by making unfounded allegations against His Excellency, Yahaya Bello who has served the people of Kogi state wholeheartedly in the last eight years.

The commission alleged that the former governor mismanaged about N80 Billion meant for the state in 2016 but according to figures obtained from BudgIT, the state only got N31.98bn allocation all through the year so how on earth did the EFCC arrive at N80 Billion?

It’s either the EFCC is intentionally lying against Yahaya Bello or staffers of the commission saddled with the responsibility of getting facts and figures is doing a shabby job and in addition, there was never a year throughout his tenure that Yahaya Bello didn’t commission projects equivalent to the allocation received.

As if that wasn’t enough, the EFCC boss alleged that Yahaya Bello paid the school fees of his children from the coffers of the Kogi state government in advance because he was leaving office. This is not just ridiculous but embarrassing because Yahaya Bello that we know is one who was well to do before he become governor of Kogi state.

Yahaha Bello has been paying the school fees of his children, they have always attended the school in question so what would it cost him to continue paying even after government? The commission should be aware that the former Kogi state governor is not one of those politicians who don’t have a life beyond politics therefore making an assertion that he paid some money because he was leaving government is null and void.

As a lawyer that Olukoyode is, he should know too well that such statement is defamatory and as long as it hasn’t been confirmed by the court, making such a defamatory statement isn’t acceptable and he is culpable in all of these.

At the moment, the EFCC boss has been charged to court for contempt and he will most likely be jailed if he is found guilty; this could have been avoided if he chose to work within the provision of the law but for reasons best known to him, he decided to take it personal and now, he may need to pay with his freedom.

However, the EFCC as a commission has a history of making unfounded allegations against personalities only to backtrack after discovering the truth. A similar situation happened during the commission’s scuffle for Otunba Gbenga Daniel when he was accused of N60 billion misappropriations but in the end, they changed it to N200 million.

This is also a reason the commission always loses court cases because there isn’t always enough proof to substantiate claims against victims.

We can only hope the EFCC turns a new leaf because if the commission continues on this trajectory, the federal government will be making more enemies than friends.

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