The already dozing Kogi State House of Assembly has slipped further in to slumber as some members are no longer showing up for plenary as a result of alleged lack of proper welfare in the State legislature.
For instance Tuesday plenary witnessed one of the poorest attendances as 10 members out of 25 were present for legislative debate.
The trend it was gathered has been a reoccurring decimal where the Chamber cannot gather the required quorum for the legislative activities to proceed.
Many had overlooked the situation earlier due to the 2023 Presidential campaign of the State governor, which the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mathew Kolawole has been the arrow head, visiting States with some members trying to sell the idea of Yahaya Bello presidency to his counterparts.
The Kogi State Assembly based on the forgoing had been described by many commentators as a ‘slumber chamber’ as virtually nothing was happening in terms of legislative duties.
An administrative staff of the House of Assembly who will not want his name in print lamented that members have nothing to boast of in terms of welfare packages, saying that for the first time in the history of Kogi Assembly, the cost of official vehicles they are using are being deducted from their salaries and their allowances are not paid.
According to the source, the members have deserted because of pressure from their constituents, revealing that some of them are ‘cooling off’ in Abuja.
Continuing the staff said some of them who are aggrieved may boycott plenaries in protest and give untenable excuses since they can’t risk speaking out on their plight.
The Speaker, Prince Mathew Kolawole, however, could not hold back as he decried the attitude of some lawmakers who attend executive sessions without attending plenary sittings.
The Speaker made the observation at Tuesday plenary sitting saying any lawmaker who is fond of doing so would be termed to be absent.
He however, moved a motion to put to effect, some sections of the House rule dealing with absenteeism and it was seconded by the majority leader representing Ajaokuta State Constituency, Bello Hassan Balogun.
Citing relevant sections of the house rules, the speaker noted that the motion so moved was to put to effect relevant sections of the house rules.
Before Tuesday’s sitting, some members participated in an executive meeting which held in the Speaker’s office, but were absent from the plenary out of anger.
In the midst of the lack of quorum the lack of quorum a bill for a law to repeal and re-enact the Kogi State Hotel and Edict, 1995, establishing the Kogi State Hotels and Tourism Board and a bill for a law to establish Kogi State Erosion and Watershed Management agency passed second reading in the house.
The Assembly members have spent two years and two months out of a four year mandate, having been sworn into office on May 29th 2019.
(Source: National Update)
