Obasa said his major concern had been to strengthen the party in the state, adding that this was why he continued to mobilise more people to support the party at all times, an act he said had been misconstrued by “political detractors” to mean that he was chasing a governorship ambition.

The Speaker said this in his remarks shortly after Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu presented the state’s 2025 budget size of N3,005,935,198,401.

Obasa said, “I have made it a personal task to mobilise people on the platform of Mandate, which has been misconstrued by some political detractors as being a selfish aspiration on the ground for me to become governor of the state. There is the need, however, to correct this wrong impression. My concern is about building our party, and whatever we do is mainly for this cause.

“To the blackmailers who have embarked on the mission to distort and redefine our mission, let me state it unequivocally here, our intention is to promote our party on the platform of Mandate.

“Also, becoming governor is secondary; it is something that I have not given serious consideration. Nevertheless, that does not mean I am too young or lack experience to run; whereas, those who have been before me are not better off.”

The Speaker added, “In addition, it is also important to correct the impression from some naysayers who have been insinuating that I made payment to seek for blood relation in Ojo to validate my candidacy to run as governor. Of course, I have never denied the fact that I am Obasa. But rather, I have never claimed to be related to Onikoyi, Oniru, or any of the other popular Lagos families as the case may be. I can indeed never run from the fact that I am related to my Obasa family in Ojo. But I do not need local validity to contest or run. If eventually I am contesting, I will do so from Agege.”

Earlier, a vote of confidence was passed in the Speaker by all the lawmakers present at plenary.

During his presentation, Sanwo-Olu said the budget comprised a total revenue of N2,597,034,000,000 and a deficit financing of N408,902,000,000.

The ‘Budget of Sustainability’ which is made of a recurrent expenditure of N1.239 trillion (41%) and capital expenditure of N1.766 trillion (59%), is also to be sourced from a total revenue of N1,970,897,000,000 and total federal transfers  N626,137,000,000.

Reacting, Speaker Obasa noted that the budget was presented at a time complaints by Nigerians about the economy.

He, however, appealed to Nigerians to be hopeful as President Bola Tinubu’s administration works to ensure the nation’s economic recovery.

The law, if it comes into existence, will also penalise the encouragement of street begging by residents. In this way, it will be an offence to give alms to a street beggar.

The lawmakers said criminal elements disguised as beggars have taken over the streets in the state.

A statement on Tuesday said the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, who described street begging as a menace taking over the state, agreed with the lawmakers at plenary that criminal elements had taken over the streets disguised as beggars.

Reacting to the motion brought by Abiodun Orekoya and some of his colleagues, Obasa noted how previous administrations in the state made efforts to curb street begging, but that the challenge had not abated.

He stressed the need for a law that would criminalise street begging and penalise individuals who give money to beggars on the roads.

When we address the source, then we can curb it. When you go on the road, you find children within the ages of five and six begging. It means there are established groups of people benefitting from this. They warehouse and provide for them.

“Beyond the Child Rights Law, we should come up with another law that speaks to begging and giving. We must come up with genuine laws and institutions that handle begging.”

The Speaker said the proposed law should aim to establish a centre where individuals who wish to give alms can do so, while the centre would ensure that the alms reach those in need.

“The law will create a fund to be managed by people with integrity so that if you are in need, you would go there,” he said.

He said while this would help people fulfil their religious beliefs about almsgiving, it would also help curb street begging, reduce crime on the road and promote greater responsibility among residents.

The invitation was in connection with a news report published on Monday by an online news platform.

The story revealed that a certificate racketeering syndicate had genuine Lagos State University certificates that anyone interested could purchase for between N2m and N3m, depending on the technicality of the course involved.

In a statement made available by Media Assistant to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Eromosele Ebhomele, the Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, noted that the source of the story could be suspicious and not trustworthy, saying, “because of its tendency to blackmail, agreed that the concerned officials of the institution be invited so that facts about the allegation could be unearthed for the sake of the reputation of the school.”

Obasa, an alumnus of the institution, said, “I agree that the committee should invite those to be invited to establish facts about the allegation, but we must not because of that destroy our institution’s reputation.”

However, the Speaker said should anyone be found wanting, they would be sanctioned.

The statement revealed that Mr Owolabi Ajani, who moved the motion under ‘Matter of Urgent Public Importance,’ told his colleagues that there was a need to invite the commissioner, the VC and others for the House to unravel the facts behind the allegation.

Ajani noted that LASU had maintained a high level of integrity over the years, saying that this must be sustained.

“While Honourable Sa’ad Olumoh urged that the investigation should involve people in the Information and Communication Technology unit of the institution, Honourable Desmond Elliot and his colleague, Ladi Ajomale, who said they attended LASU, supported that the allegation be investigated,” the statement added.

The House, therefore, said it would invite “the family of the deceased, the related government agency and the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights for an update on the case which has been in the court,” a statement said on Tuesday.

The statement quoted the Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, as saying that the issue, which was brought up by a member of the House, Steve Ogundipe, under ‘Matter of Urgent Public Importance’, was worthy of deliberation.

“The issue of Bamise was brought to this House when it happened and I received the protesters, but at that point, the case was before the police and the court of law.

“Unfortunately, the judiciary is an institution on its own and we do not have the power to dabble in their activities. We cannot compel the judiciary but can only lend our voice by saying the people of the state are eager to know about the case.

“We need to invite the family, the civil society group and the agency of the government that has a role to play so that they can let us know how far they have gone.

“If we are encouraging people to make use of public transportation, then we must build that confidence that they are safe. All the buses on our roads must have CCTV cameras. Our new trains and terminals should also have. The essence of this is to prevent crime. Security is very crucial,” the Speaker was quoted to have said.

Obasa noted that, if in six months, the family of Bolanle Raheem, the lawyer who was murdered by a policeman, could get justice, there should also be justice for Bamise.

Bringing the issue to the notice of the House, Ogundipe said the incident happened in February 2022 and had continued to linger.

The Majority Leader of the House, Noheem Adams, recalled that the CDHR and the family of Bamise recently protested to the House, adding that about 500 protesters were promised that the House would act on their concern.

Obasa made the promise when he played host to top officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency led by its state commander, Mr Ralph Igwenagu, according to a statement.

The Speaker expressed hope that a collective fight against the societal challenge would help to further sustain a safe and well-protected Lagos.

He said he was not surprised that Lagos has been described as one of the epicentres of drug abuse in the country saying with an influx of people from other states, it should be expected.

“I am not disappointed that Lagos has been rated number one. Lagos has become an abode for everybody – the good and the bad – and this has become a challenge to the government. That is why it is difficult for the Lagos Government to project. When your project for a certain number of people this year, before you know it, more than three times your projection will enter the state. That is why we make efforts to support the Federal Government by equipping the Rapid Response Squad. We also set up the Security Trust Fund, the Neighbourhood Safety Corps, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and others to ensure that lives and property are protected,” he said, adding that collaboration by stakeholders was important because the negative effects of drug abuse affect everybody since some engage in criminal activities. We want to request that you sustain that exercise. We know that with you, it is possible because members of the House of Assembly are grassroots politicians and can reach out to the youths.”

The Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, directed the acting Clerk, Olalekan Onafeko, to transmit a clean copy to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for assent.

Both bills were passed after unanimous votes by the lawmakers at the sitting where they were read the third time.

The bill that prohibits open cattle grazing proposes a 21-year jail term for herders in possession of firearms and the establishment of a task force to curb open grazing of cattle.

The anti-open grazing law followed similar laws passed in Benue, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo and other parts of the country to curb killer herdsmen activities, while the VAT bill was passed in the wake of similar legislation by Governor Nyesom Wike in Rivers State.

The Speaker, Obasa, commended his colleagues after the bills were passed.

He said: “I thank you all for this historic exercise.”

Mr Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni, the Chairman, House Ad Hoc Committee on the Victims of aftermath of the End SARS protest in the state, made the disclosure at the end of its 3-day public hearing on Friday in Lagos.

Eshinlokun-Sanni, who is also the Deputy Speaker, promised that the compensation would come as early as possible.

Recall that the Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, had constituted a nine-member committee last month to investigate the level of destruction of property and loss of lives as well as to determine compensation for the victims.

“If your property is insured, LASACO is here to assist you. We’ll do our best to ensure that you’re well compensated,” Eshinlokun-Sanni.

“We’ll also make budgetary allocations from the 2021 budget for compensation to be paid. We’ll do our best and assist you in our own way.

“We want to perform our duty and identify with you about the incident.

“It’s the duty of the government to intervene in such situations. You’ll soon hear from us about the money we want to give you.”

He added, “Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu spoke about the issue and went to the president to present the demands of the protesters, and they were accepted.

“SARS was disbanded, and the government started the process of police reforms. But hoodlums hijacked the protest and started looting, maiming and started burning assets.”

The Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, had on October 26 set up a nine-man Ad-Hoc Committee to investigate the loss of lives and destruction of property.

Lagos Central Senatorial District residents were present at Wednesday’s sitting.

Those of Lagos East and Lagos West are to attend the hearing between Thursday and Friday.

Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Committee, Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni said the House action was to complement the efforts of the state government.

“We are want to display our indomitable resilience. The character of Lagos is to be undefeatable. We have shown this character before, it’s in our gene, we will show it again.

“Even in the heat of being in the opposition for 16 years, Lagos didn’t falter, instead, we rose and shone. This is another phase, another challenge, another setback, Lagos State shall rise again and shine brighter than ever.”

The lawmaker disclosed that the body’s terms of reference include interface with victims, relevant stakeholders and community leaders.

The committee will also determine the level and value of compensation and restitution, and make recommendations that will help prevent future riots.

“We shall be leveraging on the knowledge and experiences of the experts we have invited such as architects, insurance etc., in assessing the details and making decisions on how to assuage the pains of our people,” he said.

The spokesman for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said that Obasa honoured the invitation at the Lagos zone office of the commission on Thursday,after he was invited.

“He was invited, not arrested. He is responding to questions,” Uwujaren said.

The

The bill which is an amendment to the Lagos State House of Assembly Service Commission Law of 2015 was unanimously passed into Law by all members present at plenary of the Assembly on Monday, September 14, after the third reading.

The Law is to give legal backing and operational modules to the new financial autonomy granted State Legislatures and Judiciary in Section 121(3) of the 4th Alteration of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which Mr President issued Executive Order upon on May 22, 2020, for its immediate implementation.

The newly amended law which is now waiting for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s assent consists of 12 amendments and seven new sections.

Among the new amendments is Section 4 which deals with the tenure of the Chairman and members of the commission.

According to the amended Section 4, “The Chairman and members of the Commission shall hold office for a term of five years and may be eligible for re-appointment for a further term of five years only”.

Section 21 deals with the tenure of the Clerk of the House. Section 21 states inter alia; ” The Clerk shall hold office for a period of four years and may be eligible for re-appointment for a further term of four years only”.

Section 22 creates five Deputy Clerk positions including Deputy Clerk(Legislative Matters) Deputy Clerk( Legislative Drafting and Legal Services) Deputy Clerk(Publication) Deputy Clerk( Administration and Human Resources) and Deputy Clerk( Finance and Accounts.

Among the newly created sections of the law are Sections 24 and 29 which deal with a fund of the commission and payment of salaries, pensions, other remuneration and allowances payable to members, and staff of the House of Assembly respectively.