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 announcement was made shortly after the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, proclaimed the Assembly on Tuesday morning.

Obasa’s reelection took place following his nomination by Temitope Adewale, who represents Ifako-Ijaiye 1 state constituency.

The decision was met with approval from fellow members of the Assembly, as Obasa’s leadership and contributions have been widely recognized.

Having previously served as Speaker in the 8th and 9th Assemblies, Obasa’s reappointment reflects the confidence and trust placed in his abilities by his constituents and colleagues.

Throughout his tenure, Obasa has demonstrated a strong commitment to the development and progress of Lagos State, actively participating in legislative matters and championing initiatives to improve the lives of the people.

As Speaker, Obasa will continue to play a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth functioning of the Lagos State House of Assembly. His experience, knowledge, and dedication will undoubtedly contribute to the effective governance and legislative processes in the state.

With his reelection, Obasa’s constituents and the people of Lagos State can expect continued leadership and representation that prioritize their interests and foster sustainable growth.

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.”

Obasa who said this during the debate on a motion about the 22 years of unbroken democracy in Nigeria raised by Setonji David (Badagry 2, APC), commended President Muhammadu Buhari for signing an executive order granting autonomy to state legislatures and judiciary and for honouring the late M.K.O Abiola with the declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day.

He said “It is not about electing us alone. Those that elected us also have freedom, they have the right to protest where they think things are not working.  The right to protest should not be taken away from them as long as such right is not taken for granted. There is no crime in seeking separate nations within an existing nation. Those representing the people through the ideology of social contracts must listen to the people. For the southern governors, having stated their position, they should not go to sleep. They should follow it through.  We will continue to cry that we have state police and devolution of power.”

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 move comes as Americans have continued to destroy statues and monuments of slave masters in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests.

The Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa has also directed its clerk, Azeez Sani, to address a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, seeking an Executive Order that all streets named after colonial masters should be changed.

He said “The motion is about us, about Africans. We have to tell the world about our own civilisation. The resolve is not broad enough. It is not about Lagos State alone. We have to tell African Union about  reparation started by the late Chief M.K.O Abiola”

Contributing to the motion, Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu representing Eti-Osa Constituency 2, opined that any history that makes a black person feel inferior should be changed.

”This is a right step in the right direction and we need to change our psyche and history that will not make us feel as human beings. We need to change the narrative that connotes superiority in our history. I want my colleagues to support the motion”

Victor Akande, the chairman of the nine-man fact-finding panel which probed Obasa, said all the allegations made against the speaker were “frivolous” during the presentation of his panel’s report on Monday, June 8.

The panel which recommended that the clerk of the house Azeez Sanni should investigate how documents which led to the allegations against the speaker were leaked, maintained that Obasa followed due process in disbursements of funds.

Akande said “We also recommend that the activities of the house should be digitalised for proper record keeping and monitoring. It was then suggested by the committee that a vote of confidence should be passed in the speaker of the house. The speaker did not have multiple accounts with Ecobank, the BVN ascribed to Wema Bank does not belong to him and the companies attributed to him in Wema Bank is not correct.”