Gbajabiamila Blames Frictions Between Executive, Legislature On Conflict Of Roles

The speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila has said the misconception of the roles of the Legislature in government by the Executive arm and the public, often times was responsible for the frequent frictions between the two arms of government.
Gbajabiamila said although lawmakers’ attempt to adhere strictly to their legislative responsibilities often lead to friction with the executive, the constitutional responsibility of oversight of government’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) has always been a major point of disagreement between the two.
In a statement signed by Lanre Lasisi, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, House of Representatives, Gbajbiamila said to address the issue, a better understanding of the Legislature and its constitutional duties and the dissemination of legislative activities by the Nigerian media would enable Nigerians to appreciate their representatives more as well as have a full grasp of issues at stake from an informed position.
The speaker spoke yesterday at a 2-day dialogue session for senior members of the Executive and Legislative branches of government aimed at enhancing partnership, good governance and effective delivery of public goods and services hosted by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Aso Villa, Abuja.
Gbajabiamila, who led members of the House to the retreat, however, noted that as long as the nation’s system of government rests upon a partnership between the Executive and the Legislature, the most important of their functions is the obligation to check and balance each other.
In his address titled, ‘Building effective partnership for good governance and delivery of government’s priority agenda,’ Gbajabiamila noted that for the delivery of good governance, legislative oversight must not be seen as an attempt to usurp the authority of the Executive, instead, it should be seen as good efforts to ensure that the government lives up to its obligations under the law.
(Leadership.ng)