A former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Olorunibe Mamora has lent his voice calls by well meaning Nigerians for the Convocation of a Sovereign National Conference to discuss issues affecting the country.
Senator Mamora made his position known while delivering a lecture in Ado Ekiti titled : Role of the Legislature in a growing democracy as part of activities marking the first anniversary of the Fourth Assembly in Ekiti State. He remarked that the time to convene the conference is now, as people from various quarters are now calling for it.
Senator Mamora,who is also a former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, urged the legislative arm of government to stay at the forefront of redefining the Nigerian Nation. He said this can be done by promoting true Federalism rather than the present situation in the country which he described as unitary in nature.
According to Senator Mamora, Nigeria presently practices fiscal centralism instead of fiscal federalism. He called for an act of the National Assembly to institute a Constituent Assembly which will fashion out a people’s constitution for the country.
He called for the strengthening of Public Petitions Committee in State Houses of Assembly to further promote ideals of democracy in the country.
The guest lecturer also called for priority attention to the organization of public hearings by the legislature to strengthen legislative process.
Senator Mamora challenged lawmakers to improve on their oversight functions, stressing that through this, legislative duties and functions would be strengthened. He advised that oversight functions should be devoid of undue harassment and charged lawmakers to always abide by their oath of office.
Earlier, the Speaker of the Ekiti House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adewale Omirin said the Assembly had performed creditably well within the last one year. He said the performance has enhanced good governance in the State through the passage of twenty nine bills.
Last modified: June 13, 2012
