A member of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon Adamu Usman has said the executive arm of government over time in the country has succeeded in blackmailing the legislators even as he solicited for support and proper separation of powers.
Usman representing Okuta/Yashikira in Baruten local government of the state was reacting to the comment of the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Prof Bolaji Owasanoye that the executive arms of government is more corrupt than the legislature in the country.
According to the lawmaker, elective positions like the legislative arms needs to be supported and seen as a different arm of government that make laws for the judiciary to interpret.
He added that the direct impact of the laws made to our people should be the first paramount thing people should be considered and not cash or materials benefit to get from the lawmakers.
“People that you represent want to see you every time. And by the time you appear to them and you give something, they believe you have more.
“Whatever the executive is doing is always tied to the representative from a particular constituency. And by the time the people call the representative and ask of the promise which is not even ready at most times but had already been announced, the executive will use that to blackmail the legislature.
“That is what is happening presently because legislator doesn’t have right to approve or execute any project. Whether you like or it not, people will look at you that whatever they suppose to benefit from the government is coming directly to you.
Sometimes you request for boreholes and in my case for instance three of such. I went to lobby the executive who assured me that they will do it and even went ahead to publish it. At the end of the day, it was not done but my people tagged me that I have collected the money. How many people would you explain to. That is the way they are blackmailing the legislature.
“At the Houses of Assembly, whatever you do is subjected to the approval of the governor who is the head of the executive arm of government. Then the ministry, which is saddled with the responsibility of handling the project handles all other necessary things. The people who are in charge of government funds are the executive and the primary responsibility of the legislator is to make laws. But the executive is now pushing reasonability to the legislator because it is you the people will come and meet because they voted for you.
The executive has succeeded in blackmailing legislature before now and we need to get to the point for people to understand and properly separate the roles of each arms”, he added.
