We’ll take on any executive that undermines us – Rep

A member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, speaks on the intrigues surrounding the emergence of the leadership of the House and other issues in this interview with MUDIAGA AFFE

The Action Congress of Nigeria’s national legislators were said to have championed the emergence of the new leadership of the House of Representatives. Was this aimed at sabotaging the zoning formula of the Peoples Democratic Party?

The issues about the election of the Speaker of the House of Representatives were beyond the South-West, neither were they an ACN agenda. However, it is important for us as a caucus to consider the best candidate out of the lot that were contesting the post. We did, in fact, interact with the three of them, considering the best interest of this great country, our party and our wellbeing within the House. Our support for Speaker Aminu Tambuwal was as a result of our commitment to the House project, and based on the fact that the members of the House should be allowed to determine who leads them. The PDP itself did not come with a clean hand during the process of nominating the President. It was not sure whether there should be zoning or not, but those that advocated zoning lost out. The President’s conduct might have influenced Tambuwal to contest the election and could also have encouraged PDP members, who voted overwhelmingly for Tambuwal. Thus, they deemed it fit to go for the best candidate.

Considering the role your party played in the emergence of Tambuwal, do you see the opposition parties having a better say in the Seventh Assembly?

We’re the leading minority party and we have the minority parties coming together to speak as one, bearing in mind that Nigerians might have deliberately voted to have a rainbow parliament, where no party will be too strong to determine the fate of policies and directions for this great country. Of course, the PDP still holds on to the majority, but not large enough to determine fundamental issues affecting our lives. This is where our input and that of other minority parties will no longer be taken for granted. The House of Representatives will now be interested in issues such as fiscal federalism, unemployment, infrastructure development, job creation, educational and fundamental constitutional reforms. We will have our say and our say would also be heard.

What would likely be the focus of the Seventh Assembly, considering the fact that public opinion rated the performance of the Sixth Assembly low?

The Seventh Assembly had set an agenda for itself, which it hoped it would be judged by. We have to make sure that budgets are not only brought on time by the executive, but also, the NASS should be able to deliver a budget by January of the fiscal year, improve on fiscal federalism, unemployment, infrastructure development and of course the issue of amending the constitution in line with the aspiration of the country. The Seventh Assembly should be seen to be at the forefront of making Nigeria a competitive nation in the comity of nations. We must lead the way and my party caucus is determined to join others in the assembly in meeting the various challenges facing us as a nation and solving these problems.

What challenges do you think lie ahead of the parliamentarians in this current House?

The challenges lying ahead are enormous. There would be a lot of disagreements between the policy makers i.e., the executive and the NASS, which speak for various constituencies on how best to steer the ship of the country. We’re ready to take our oversight jobs seriously and we must be ready to take on any member of the executive that tries to undermine members of the NAss. We must also, as an important arm of the government, do only what will promote the unity, happiness and prosperity of Nigeria.

Lagos has been clamouring for a special status over the years; how can this be achieved in the present dispensation?

Lagos is the economic capital of the country, with a control of 53 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product. The population of Lagos during the day could be up to 24 million, while those who come in yearly to look for jobs that are not available could be up to 300,000. Every Nigerian needs Lagos in one way or the other. Most of the federal institutions and infrastructures left behind when the capital was moved are dilapidated. We face transportation challenges; our efforts at generating additional megawatts of electricity were thwarted by the Federal Government; our effort to get a light rail from Iddo to Ijoko is not being encouraged. Lagos-Apapa Expressway calls for an urgent attention. It needs to be upgraded. Given the socioeconomic importance of the expressway, and its position as a connecting link to the country’s main gate (i.e. Murtala Mohammed International Airport), which leads to the various parts of the country. The expressway now lives in its shadow as it has turned to an eyesore. This is an expressway that showcases Nigeria to the foreign visitors. It should be a cynosure of attraction rather than being a stigma to this great nation. Lagos needs help. The Lagos Caucus is working on a bill that we intend to present before the House, a constitutional amendment bill that will give a special status to Lagos. Also, we would be looking into the Lagos Megacity Development Bill again, in line with the aspiration of Lagosians. We’re hoping our dear colleagues will be on this same page with us on either of these two approaches.