BY DAPO AKINREFON

The House of Representatives has had its own fair share of controversies.While Mrs Patricia Etteh lasted as the Speaker, the house was kept in the spot light following discoveries made by members of the Integrity Group, which alleged financial impropriety against the leadership of the house.

In September 2007, a committee questioned Etteh about her spending of N628 million on home renovation and automobiles. She denied any wrongdoing, but many Representatives were unhappy with her attempts to defend herself. Mrs Etteh did not last long on the hot seat as the allegations led to her exit.

Having been shown the way out, there was much expectation from her successor.

After Etteh’s resignation from the post on October 30, along with her deputy, who was also caught up in the scandal and after much deliberations and horse trading, the Integrity Group decided to throw up the name of Mr Dimeji Bankole, from Ogun State.

Though it was uneasy for the head that wore the crown, he decided to take the bull by the horn in steering the house affairs.

On his election as head of the House, Bankole said “I am taking over the mantle of leadership at a very difficult time. But these are hard times, we need to build confidence again and assure the populace that we are still their representatives. I want an independent house that Nigerians will be proud of, this is my first task.”

One week after his election, political opponents claimed that he had not completed his National Youth Service Corps Service, NYSC, which is mandatory for all Nigerian university graduates under thirty years of age when they graduate, and called for his resignation over the issue. Bankole provided his NYSC discharge certificate, ending the rumor.

On June 22, 2010, he (Bankole) suspended 11 members of the house indefinitely for disorderliness and fighting in the house.

Bankole

But with the 2011 elections over, some members of the House of Reps failed to make it back to the house. The Speaker, who was one of such lawmakers has gone to court to seek legal redress over the outcome of the elections. Whether he will emerge victorious is left for the tribunal to decide.

A stabilizing factor?
Though a few house members may disagree with the fact that he remained a stabilizing factor in the house, there is no doubt he has set a new template for the House of Representatives.

He has been able to position the House to live up to its expectation especially in the discharge of its role of law making, oversight and representation with minimal confrontation and conflict with the executive arms while achieving maximum and often unprecedented results in its core areas.

However, as Bankole’s tenure as Speaker winds up, it is expedient to assess the level of performance of the 360 member legislative House under him. Taking over the mantle of leadership from his predecessor, Mrs Etteh, Bankole ensured there was need to drift away from what obtained in the past.

The first major indication of a paradigm shift of Bankole speakership in law making was the 2008 Appropriation Bill (Budget). For him, the era of the House, acceding to Appropriation Bills or any executive bill lapsed as the House took it upon itself to make proper inquiry as a way of ensuring good governance.

The Appropriation Bill is possibly the most important bill that the House usually passes. Nevertheless, it is not the only bill that engages the House as laws have to be molded to accommodate all and sundry in the polity.

His score sheet- Under the Speaker’s watch, the House has passed 136 Bills affecting all sectors of the nation’s life in fundamental ways. Top among these bills are four Appropriation Bills which he (Bankole) re engineered to save the nation a large chunk from the nation’s treasury.

Its scrutiny of the 2008 Appropriation bill led to the discovery of unspent fund of N450 billion from the 2007 Budget in sharp contrast to the about N25 billion presented in the budget. This sum was captured for re-appropriation in the 2008 Budget. This issue of unspent fund in the front burner of any legislative process on Appropriation Bill and in 2009 Appropriation Bill, N350 billion was returned as unspent fund from the 2008 Budget. Hitherto, these unspent funds are pocketed through bogus end of year contracts that are not executed or some frivolous capacity building binge.

Altogether, the Bankole-led House has saved the nation about N1 trillion in unspent funds through this.
Besides, the Freedom of Information Bill which process of passage commenced in 1999, has eventually been passed, despite stiff opposition. Having been passed, the FOI Bill is said not to only help the media but the legislature in its oversight functions.

The Constitutional Amendment Bill 2010 was also able to scale through. The amendment, which tends to lead to a qualitative development of the nation’s democracy, will at the same time ensure that the nation does not find itself in quandary in case of indisposition of a President or governor for a certain period.

Not only did it achieve that feat, the House under Bankole was able to successfully pass the 2010 Electoral (amendment) Act which was instrumental to the success of the recently conducted 2011 election. Besides, it has ensured appropriation to fund the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, activities to implement the act that resulted in the widely acclaimed election.

In pursuance of actualising its oversight functions, the Speaker ensured that house members did not leave any stone unturned in investigating the various ministries.

Furtherance to performing its oversight functions, the House Finance Committee’s investigation into the finance of government discovered an alleged startling fact that in the last five years prior to its investigation, over N5 trillion was not remitted to the federation account by MDAs as they should constitutionally.