The Lagos State Governor-elect, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has solicited the support and cooperation of the members-elect of the 9th Lagos State House of Assembly, in order to bring good governance to the residents.
Sanwo-Olu made the call while delivering a goodwill message at an induction workshop for the members-elect on Thursday in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the workshop has as its theme: “Responsive Representation And Quality Legislation As Prerequisites To Good Governance”.
The governor -elect congratulated the Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa and other members-elect for their victory at the 2019 polls.
He said the fact that the APC won all the 40 seats in the House confirmed people’s confidence in the ruling party.
He said: “I am encouraged, to say the least, that I know we will be working together very well.
“We will continue to acknowledge and put in proper perspectives the responsibility that the state assembly has.
“It is a clear cut responsibility that the constitution has given to us.
“Yes, we have different responsibilities, but the overall objective of those responsibilities is to bring about good governance, quality governance and quality representation of the people.
“The moment we understand that we are all in this together, the delivery of service to our people will not be difficult for both of us to achieve.”
He told the incoming lawmakers that they would be seeing a government that understands and appreciates the importance of the legislative arm.
Sanwo-Olu said: “I am looking forward to engagement that will ensure that all the things we have promised our people, all the deliverables, all of us working together to make them come to bear very quickly.
“So, I am appealing and pleading ahead that I will need your support, I will need your cooperation.
“I will give my total support to the assembly and anything that will be required to ensure that you discharge your responsibilities fully without any fear and doubt.”
According to him, members-elect should be proud of the fact that they have been elected from the teeming population and the onus lies on them to ensure service to the people.
He said: “Our people have entrusted us with this mandate. If the teeming population in Lagos have given all our party, each and every one of us a resounding victory in the last elections, the least we can do for them is to ensure that from day one, we understand and appreciate what this call is all about.
“We need to understand that as representatives of the people, not only would we be rolling up our sleeves, we would ensure good governance; proper and adequate representation is the minimum we can give our people who have given us this very mandate.
“I am excited because I know that I will be working with men and women that have excelled in their chosen professions.
“I am excited because Lagosians will certainly enjoy the ninth assembly that will be the best ever in Lagos State.”
Sanwo-Olu urged the members-elect to bring about positive development that could improve quality of lives of the people.
He promised that from day one of the next administration, Lagos residents would begin to feel the imapct of government.
On some of the uncompleted projects of the outgoing administration, the governor-elect said, “government is a continuum, it means that we are taking over both asset and liability”.
He said: “It will be unfair to Lagosians for us to abandon projects all because we did not conceive them.
“The strategy would be to very quickly complete those projects and innovatively create our own.”
In his remarks, Obasa emphasised separation of powers and the cooperation between the executive and the legislature.
According to him, such mutual relationship with the executive arm had just started and the Assembly would work with the executive for the benefit of the people.
He said: “There must be collaboration between the executive and the legislature.”
Obasa, however, said that the House would not be a rubber stamp to the executive, adding that its members have a culture of performing their duties without being influenced.