The Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, on Tuesday moved a motion for the probe of politicians that were alleged to be putting pressure on the Military to stage a coup in Nigeria.
He moved the motion while performing his first Legislative function after being honoured with Honourary Life Membership of the Osun State House of Assembly in Osogbo, the state capital.
Governor Aregbesola was honoured by the House as part of his 60th birthday anniversary.
He urged the Assembly to pass a resolution commending the Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai, for his “thorough professionalism and belief in the current democracy.
“We are so diverse as a people that anything short of true federalism is an invitation to chaos.”
The Speaker of the House, Rt Hon. Najeem Folasayo Salam, attributed the unanimous decision of every member of the House to Aregbesola’s unprecedented contributions to the development of the state.
Salam, who described Governor Aregbesola as a leader by excellence and an astute political leader, said the action was collectively taken as part of the Legislative resolves to reward the Governor for his good works not only to the people of Osun but Nigeria as a whole.
The Speaker who frowned at the insinuations making the round that the State House has been incapacitated and turned to a rubber stamp of the Executive, said on no account does the House act outside the constitutional framework of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, since assumption of the current dispensation.
He said the House has succeeded in its oversight functions to ensure transparency and accountability on the Executive arms of government, thus serving as the watchdog on the policies, activities and programmes of the Executive since inception.
Describing the Legislative honour given to Aregbesola as a well-deserved honour, Najeem said it is pertinent in a democratic democracy for people to clearly understand the principles guiding the peaceful and symbiotic relations between the three Arms of Government.
“We are honouring our Governor not because he is a governor but because he had used his position to transform our dear state to position ever envisaged in life by anyone.
“It is our beliefs that his honorary membership would go a long way to strengthen democracy and as well enhance good governance in the state.
“To us, the honouree has never compromised the core Legislative values, principles and standards since assumption of office in all he does. He had convinced us on his capability to rule the state for better governance.”
The Guest lecturer and Leader, House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, in his lecture titled “suitability of presidential system in a multi-ethnic democracy”, canvassed for a restructuring of the Nigeria federal system so as to aid proper development.
Gbajabiamila argued that for a nation to progress, the system of government must fit into the structure of governance.
According to him, the present 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria conceded too many responsibilities to the Federal government at the expense of other component units.
He, however, canvassed for the decentralisation of power from the federal to the federating states in line with international best practices of true federalism.
In their separate remarks, the Speakers Oyo and Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon. Adesina Micheal Adeyemo and Hon. Kola Oluwawole, emphasised the need for cooperation between the Executive and the Legislature.
