A mild drama ensued on the floor of the Oyo State House of Assembly when it unanimously passed a vote of no confidence on the Commissioner of Education, Science and Technology, Professor Adeniyi Olowofela for observed rudeness and arrogance displayed during his presentation before the House.
The House had earlier invited The Commissioner and Permanent Secretary of his Ministry, the Federal Coordinator, School feeding programme and representatives of food vendors from the geo political zones in the State to appear before the House pursuant to the resolution of the House on Tuesday 7th November, 2017 following a motion presented by a lawmaker representing Irepo/Olorunsogo state constituency, Hon. Seni Abdulganiyu on the need to address the abnormality going on in the primary school feeding programme in the State.
While appearing before the house alongside other invitees, the Commissioner of Education, Professor Adeniyi Olowofela had come with a prepared statement giving detailed information about the allegation leveled against his ministry.
While presenting the statement, the Commissioner queried what constituted anomaly in running of the school feeding programme.
At this point, the lawmakers got infuriated by the comment made by the Commissioner which they considered barbaric and a disrespect to the legally constituted House of Assembly.
In the concluding part of the statement presented by the Commissioner, he had advised the House that in the immediate future, a mover of the motion should carry out elementary investigations, not statements that would mislead the citizenry and portend the honourable House as being hasty in decision making.
All the lawmakers who commented on the issue including the Dep. Speaker, Hon. Abdulwasih Musa, Hon. Bimbo Oladeji, Hon. Samson Oguntade, Hon. Olusegun Olaleye and Hon. Gbenga Oyekola and Hon. Fatai Adesina moved that the Commissioner be suspended or removed for incompetence, disrespect to the parliament, and failure to recognize the power conferred on the House to investigate on any issue that is of public importance.
While speaking with journalists shortly after leaving the plenary, Professor Adeniyi Olowofela explained that the House did not give him fair hearing over an allegation leveled against his ministry on the school feeding programme.
According to him, “the House has the right as an institution but there was an allegation and that allegation was that the ministry of education was dividing the money of home grown school feeding programme into two and the ministry had no power over the account of the vendors and the administrators. But I was not allowed to express myself and they said I was rude. Even in court you must give fair hearing but if you invite somebody, you allow him to talk to react to an issue and you are saying you are passing a vote of no confidence. There are two sides to a coin, that’s the way they see it but I am saying is that the ministry of Education does not divide the money of home grown school feeding programme into two because we don’t have any power over the accounts of the vendors.
“When issue like this occurred there is what we call a temperament of the moment. I have never seen a place whereby you ask somebody to come and present an issue and you go to the conclusion and refuse to allow the person to read what is there whereas what we are talking about is very critical. This home grown school feeding programme since inception has brought about 2.7 billion naira to Oyo State and we have never asked anybody for a kobo.
“So, if anybody raises a serious allegation in the public domain, it is better to trash it out in the public domain. I have great respect for individuals, I have great respect for institutions including the House of Assembly but I have a responsibility to correct a lie. A lie will not become the truth because it is told in the House of Assembly.” Professor Olowofela concluded.
Also speaking with journalists after the plenary, the Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Musah Abdulwasi pointed out that the House has done the right thing by passing a vote of no confidence on the Commissioner after displaying act of arrogance and disrespect for the House.
In another development, the House has passed the Inspection, Grading and Movement of Produce Bill, 2016 Into Law.
The bill was passed after the House received the report of the committee on agriculture, and natural resources on inspection, Grading and Movement of Produce Bill, 2017 presented by its chairman, Hon. Safiu Olalere representing Ido state Constituency and read for the third time.
The house thereafter constituted itself into Committees of the whole to consider the bill clause by clause before it was passed into law.
The house equally directed its Committee on Environment and Ecology to visit the old dump site at Orita Aperin, Ibadan with a view to recommending a new developmental project that can be sited therein in order to boost economic activities in the state and report back in the next two week.
This directive followed a motion moved by Hon. Fatai Adesina representing Ibadan South East Constituency I on the urgent need to transform the old dump site at Orita Aperin, Ibadan into useful developmental projects site.
Packaged by Feyisayo Oladiipo and Oyedapo Oyewole
