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Exclusive : Bench Warming At Oyo Assembly [SEE LIST]
OYO State House of Assembly is a lawmaking body in the state, and vested with the powers to check the excesses of the executive and other arms of government to ensure peace, order and good governance in the state, in respect to matters not in the exclusive legislative list, but in concurrent list. It could also legislate on other matters in which it is empowered by the Constitution to do so.
Similarly, it plays a representative function based on constituency arrangement for effective representation of the populace.
Each member therefore represents a section of the people in the state for avoidance of marginalization in the scheme of things.
And among other several functions, the House is further tasked with deliberative function and before any bill is passed into law, or a resolution taken on any matter, members must procedurally, engage in a careful and meticulous deliberation of all the facts therein, to arrive at definite and worthy decisions.
However, in addition to lawmaking, oversight and representation roles of these parliamentarians, they are also expected to perform constituency services, which sounds to be one of the most influential functions of a lawmaker.
In Oyo’s current 8th Assembly, there are some lawmakers who are perceived to have performed below the bar, while many others have completely gone into oblivion, by consistently remaining dormant during plenary sessions.
As the fight for political surviver draws nearer and halfway into the tenure of the 8th Assembly, interestingly, from 2015 to 2017, a total of seven (7) members of the current Assembly did not live up to expectations.
Mega Icon Magazine investigation reveals a dismay perform of these parliamentarians who are poised to contest future elections, judging from the in-depth of their debates and contributions in the house, standing committees as well as what impact they have made on the electorate whose mandate they hold in trust.
By popular demand, Mega Icon Magazine brings you the inactive lawmakers in Oyo’s Assembly.
Hon. Abiodun Wahab, popularly addressed as ‘Deen Abbey’ representing Oluyole State Constituency under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is one of the bench warmers in the House; he hasn’t done much to represent his constituents.
Many have termed him as a controversial candidate as those in the know claimed that the lawmaker is currently swimming in turbulence political water following a court case questioning his victory in the 2015 elections. He was also alleged to be part of the plot spare heading the impeachment of the Speaker, Hon. Michael Adeyemo so that he could secure the Deputy Speaker position.
Equally, Accord lawmakers , Hon. Oloya Ayinla representing Ibadan North East State Constituency I and his counterpart from Ibadan North East II, Hon. Adeoye Adeniyi were also caught in the web.
It seems second term members of the Assembly are there to relax, instead representing. These parliamentarians are one of those former legislatures who are benchwarmers in the Oyo State House of Assembly, not living up to the billing as lawmakers.
In a related development, Hon. Akinmoyede Olafioye who is also the Chief Whip of the House has served different governments in various capacities.
The APC lawmaker from Lagelu State Constituency, Olafioye, well known in the politics of Oyo State was the former council boss of Lagelu Local Government. The ex- Councilor also served as both acting and elected Council Chairman during Governor Adebayo Alao Akala’s regime and retained the position during Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s first term tenure before securing his present political post.
Despite his huge political experience, he’s also one of the benchwarmers in the House; it’s pretty bad from the ex – council chief.
To put up a list like this without mentioning Hon. Oladipo Abimbola (APC) and his colleague, Hon. Jimoh Akintunde (APC) is like trying to travel to Australia from Nigeria by foot. It is difficult for them to scale through this tangled web.
Hon. Abimbola represents the good people of Ibadan North West State Constituency and served during the previous 7th Assembly led by Senator Monsurat Sunmonu, who is currently representing Oyo Central Senatorial District.
In addition, Hon. Jimoh Akintunde of Ibarapa Central/North-State Constituency performance’s has not been quite that impressive.
Both were among the lawmakers shirking their responsibilities in the Oyo State House of Assembly. They are not performing well as expected.
At this juncture, it is imperative to state that political representation is the activity of making citizens’ voices, opinions, and perspectives “present” in public policy making processes.
Unfortunately, Hon. Oguntade Olasunkanmi, another Accord Party member representing Egbeda State Constituency has not been given his constituents a decent representation. Nothing much from the lawmaker, he’s one of those benchwarmers fond of not contributing during plenary session. It’s pretty hard to glean out information on the lawmaker.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has dismissed media reports suggesting that the recently resuscitated old Port Harcourt refinery has been shut down, labeling such claims as baseless and misleading.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, clarified that the refinery, with a capacity of 60,000 barrels per day, is “fully operational.”
The facility resumed operations two months ago after years of inactivity.
“We wish to clarify that such reports are totally false, as the refinery is fully operational, as verified a few days ago by former Group Managing Directors of NNPC,” Soneye said.
He added that preparations for the day’s loading operation are currently underway, emphasizing that the public should disregard the claims.
“Members of the public are advised to discountenance such reports as they are the figments of the imagination of those who want to create artificial scarcity and rip off Nigerians,” Soneye stated.
The old Port Harcourt refinery is part of the country’s efforts to revive its local refining capacity. Three years ago, the Federal Government approved $1.5 billion to rehabilitate the plant, which was initially shut down in 2019 due to operational challenges.
Despite being one of the largest oil producers globally, Nigeria has long relied on fuel imports to meet its domestic needs, swapping crude oil for petrol and other refined products. This dependency, coupled with government subsidies, has strained the nation’s foreign exchange reserves.
The recent return of the Port Harcourt refinery to operation follows the commissioning of the Dangote refinery, which began petrol production in September 2024. These developments are expected to reduce Nigeria’s reliance on imports and address long-standing issues in the petroleum sector.
A devastating house fire in the Ori-Eru area of Idikan, Ibadan, Oyo State, has claimed the lives of a man, his wife, and their grandson. The incident occurred on Friday at approximately 3:46 PM, leaving the community in mourning.
According to a statement by CSP Olaniyan Jibola of the Mapo Police Division, the fire engulfed the upper floor of a six-room residential storey building.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the victims had used a naked flame to keep their room warm during the cold weather, which tragically led to the fire.
“On arrival, we met the upper floor of a residential building of six rooms on fire. We swiftly swung into action, and the fire was completely extinguished. Unfortunately, the three victims had slept off after putting on the fire and could not escape,” the statement read.
Despite the tragedy, the prompt intervention of the police and a team of Amotekun officials led by Gbenga Akinyemi from the North West Division helped rescue five individuals from the burning building. Fortunately, the fire did not spread to the ground floor or adjacent properties.
The remains of the victims have been recovered, while the rescued individuals are receiving medical attention.
A Magistrate Court sitting in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, has granted human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, bail to the tune of ₦30 million. The court also mandated Farotimi to provide three sureties with landed properties within its jurisdiction.
As part of the bail conditions, the court ordered Farotimi to refrain from granting media interviews and to submit his international passport to the authorities. The case has been adjourned to February 13, 2025, for further proceedings.
Farotimi, who had been remanded at a correctional center in Ado Ekiti, arrived at the court premises on Friday at approximately 9:45 a.m. He was conveyed in a prison van accompanied by a police escort. Upon arrival, the embattled lawyer raised his hands in appreciation of a cheering crowd that had gathered outside the court to show their solidarity.
The human rights advocate is facing prosecution for allegedly defaming a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Afe Babalola. His arrest has ignited widespread public outcry, with many Nigerians and civil society groups condemning the action and demanding his immediate release.
Farotimi’s detention and subsequent arraignment have fueled debates about the boundaries of free speech and defamation laws in Nigeria, with critics arguing that the case may stifle dissenting voices in the country.
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