Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Wednesday rejected claims that there are feelings of bad blood between the state government and the state House of Assembly.
Speaking during the swearing-in of 37 new commissioners and special advisers in Ikeja, the governor said he was aware of some feelings that greeted the initial rejection of some nominees by the lawmakers.
On August 23, the House rejected 17 commissioner-nominees and confirmed 22 others.
Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, who presided over the day’s sitting, said the confirmation followed rigorous and detailed screening of the nominees by an ad-hoc committee led by the Chief Whip of the House, Fatai Mojeed.
Also on September 7, the lawmakers rejected two of the commissioner-nominees sent by the governor. The house however confirmed 15 out of the 18 commissioner-nominees in the second batch sent by Governor Sanwo-Olu.
A week after the rejection, the governor said the move again forced him to submit a revised list of nominees for screening.
“Let me go further to say that I am not unaware of the feelings in some quarters that the initial rejection of some nominees by the Lagos State House of Assembly, necessitating the submission of a revised list of nominees, signified a call to arms between the Executive and the Legislature. I reject such feelings in totality,” he said.
“Were the Executive designed to be omnipotent and omniscient, the very important oversight function of the Legislature will be needless.”
The governor commended the state House of Assembly for a job well done during the nominees screening exercise which lasted about four weeks.
He also asked the new cabinet members to put in their best and ensure their work reflect excellence at all times by carrying the people along.
Credit: Channels Television
