KEHINDE EMMANUEL,,ILORIN
A member of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Yinka Aluko, has said that members of the National Assembly were not elected to form an opposition against the executive organ of the government.
He stated that both chambers of the legislative arm have a responsibility to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu so long that he is satisfying the interest of the constituents who gave the lawmakers mandate to represent them.
Aluko, who represents Ilorin East/South Federal Constituency of Kwara State, North Central Nigeria at the Green Chamber, spoke in Ilorin in an interview with newsmen.
He assured Nigerians that members of the newly inaugurated 10th National Assembly will enjoy cordial relationship with the executive arm of government, adding that the friction that often arises between the legislative and executive arms of government would be avoided.
He noted that the relationship between the two organs will be of immense benefits to Nigerians irrespective of their political leanings.
Aluko, added that the two arms of government had started well, saying that the leaderships of the two Houses recently held a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He said, “There will be a cordial relationship between the legislature and the Presidency. As a matter of fact, the President has met with the leadership of the National Assembly.
“We all have the same purpose, which is to make life easier and more comfortable for our people. We were not elected to be opposition to the Executive. Once the President is satisfying our people, we will also support his government”, Aluko said.
The lawmaker, however, enjoined his colleagues to prioritize the welfare of their people in the House, saying that “Whatever that concerns our people should be at the forefront of all our activities at the house. Anything that will make life easier for our people should be given our utmost attention”.
On the security challenges, the politician, who is also a Security Expert with Doctorate Degree in security and strategic studies, noted that unemployment has contributed to the rise in the spate of insecurity and crimes in the country.
“People seeking job opportunities are more than the available jobs, and people will do anything to survive, though, that is not a good excuse for those involved in such acts. That is a contributory factor”, the legislator explained.
While urging parents to train their children properly, he also called on religious leaders to preach to the youth to be upright and ditch life of crime and criminality, adding that “community leaders should organize enlightenment programmes in their respective domains to teach the youth about the adverse effects of crime and impact on their personal life, loved ones and the society at large”.
Aluko, who once served as Special Adviser to the former Governor of the state on Security, called on security personnel to ensure that justice prevail and refrain from perverting justice due to financial inducement.
He harped on the support for the government in its strive to ensure peace and security in the country, saying that, “we shouldn’t blame everything on the government, security is everyone’s responsibility”.
On the clamour for part-time legislature to mitigate the cost of governance, Aluko was of the view that such proposal is not feasible in a country like Nigeria.
“It is not easy for a lawmaker to be working on part-time basis at the same time representing his people and also serving the oversight function. It is too much of responsibility for a part-time job”, he said.
When asked why the system is working in advanced countries, the legislator said, “We are still a third-world country, a lot of things are still lacking in our system. Most of the government functionaries in advanced countries are running on autopilot; they are now working automatically. If you look at the issue of road construction, it doesn’t concern the government, as well as the issue of environmental sanitation.
“They have a system that is working whereby the Ministry of Works or the people in charge of road maintenance don’t even need the approval of the government to do their job. We haven’t gotten to that level. It is when all our roads are fixed and other things are done properly that we can put in place a machinery that will ensure that all the roads are maintained”.
With the APC massive victory in Kwara in the last general elections, Aluko attributed it to the performance of the government of the day, saying that “all the people that won are all beneficiaries of the good governance of the Governor”.
“If the government is doing the right thing and people are being taken care of and infrastructure are being put in place, people won’t need to look for other party, having a one party in Kwara State for now, has not proven to be a bad thing.
“People that now decamp to APC are doing so because of the good work of the Governor, and when someone is doing great, if you are not in for politics of animosity, you have to support that person”, he said.
Aluko, however, said the election of Governor AbdulRazaq as Chairman, Nigerian Governors’ Forum will not affect his primary assignment and his developmental programmes in the state, pointing out that it would further assist him to attract monumental projects to Kwara.
He called on all the state governors and Nigerians to support him in his new tasking and challenging position.