The Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin, on Thursday dissolved all 36 standing committees of the ninth assembly with immediate effect.
He made the announcement shortly before the plenary held on Thursday was adjourned. But he did not give any reason for the dissolution. He only said that newly constituted standing committees would be announced in due course.
The dissolution came amidst controversies trailing the purchase of cars for the 32 members of the ninth assembly, which has caught the attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to a member of the house, the anti-graft agency had frozen the bank account of the assembly, but the Speaker said it was a blatant lie.
Speaking with reporters after the plenary, Ogundoyin stated: ‘Standing committees are one of the pillars of the legislature and the House of Assembly. This is our second year in office. We are expected to re-evaluate our position, we are expected to be more efficient and effective in our duties as legislators in terms of oversight and lawmaking as well as other functions of the legislators. When new committees are constituted, it will allow members to have new experiences and ultimately widen their horizon.’
Ogundoyin, who described the dissolution as a normal practice in the parliament as it helps to sharpen the process and the procedures, assured that all 10 outstanding bills yet to be done would be handled by ad hoc committees.
‘When we complete the 10 outstanding bills, it will make it a total of 73 bills passed within the spate of just two years by the ninth assembly. This would have surpassed the record of the previous Assembly. The eighth Assembly was only able to pass 53 bills in four years. You can imagine how many bills will be passed by us in four years. We are setting a high standard and enviable precedence for incoming Assemblies,’ he said.
He appreciated all the members of the House of Assembly who served in the just dissolved committees, adding that the successes and achievements recorded by the assembly in the last two years were made possible because of their hard work, dedication and all-round commitment.
(Oyo Affairs)