The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adewale Egbedun has canvassed for enhanced legislative collaboration in the South-west, to foster rapid development in the region.
Egbedun in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Olamide Tiamiyu, made the call while hosting the Speakers of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye and his Ondo State counterpart, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji respectively, during their courtesy visit to Osogbo.
According to the lawmaker, the cooperation of the region’s legislative bodies is crucial for its development, adding that Southwest has a proud history of democracy, and it is the collective responsibility of its leaders to ensure that this tradition is upheld.
He further assured that the challenges of insecurity, economic stagnation, and social inequality that are currently afflicting the country, can be tackled through legislative collaboration.
Egbedun said: “By working together as legislative arms of government, we can make a real difference in the lives of our people.”
The Speaker who further stressed the importance of a unified front in addressing these issues, added that the synergy would yield a greater development for the region and make a good impact on the lives of the people.
He added: “We must not allow ourselves as legislators to be divided along party lines or other lines of division. It is only by working together that we can truly advance the interests of our people.”
Reacting, the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, who also doubled as the chairman, of the Conference of Speakers for the South-west region, Aribasoye noted that the challenges facing the region are numerous and complicated, noting that they required a concerted and collaborative effort from all stakeholders, hence the need for legislative collaboration.
The lawmaker added that there is much to gain by the states if there is collaboration, saying: “There is nothing that stops us from having a rail line that will connect the South Western states. There is also a lot to be done in the DAWN Commission.”
He revealed that the speakers of the various Southwest states have been working together on how the region can have a regional legislative agenda and have made significant progress in recent months, adding that there is still much work to be done.
Similarly, the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Oladiji expressed the importance of legislative synergy to the development of the region.
He also emphasized the importance of legislative autonomy and how it would benefit the people of the state, noting that when the legislature could operate independently, it could be more effective in representing the interests of the people, hence the need to speak in one voice.
However, the entourage present included the majority leaders and other members of Ekiti and Ondo legislative assemblies.
