Members of the Ondo State House of Assembly have been admonished to come to terms with inescapable circumstances of tight official schedules, in their criticisms of cabinet members as per their inability to promptly honour summons from the House.
The admonition was given over the weekend by a former Chief Whip of the House, Hon. Adeyemi Olayemi, in the wake of the lawmakers’ caustic remarks, following the non-appearance of the state’s Commissioner for Finance, Mrs. Omowumi Isaac, as summoned.
Olayemi, who is currently the Special Adviser to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa on the Environment, remarked that exigencies of duties apparently delayed the appearance of the commissioner when summoned.
“While it is incumbent on the honorable lawmakers to summon any cabinet member to shed light on areas deserving clarification in the affairs of governance, they should also pause to show understanding that exigencies of office could cause a little delay in appearance.
“The finance commissioner is pivotal to the operation of government in the sense that, the office’s occupant has to be painstaking in funds allocation, project execution, and fund conservation.
“I was a member the State’s House of Assembly a few years back and can attest to situations of this nature, which naturally call for tact and mutual understanding,” Olayemi, fondly known as Koko, noted.
He added that he could vouch for the integrity of the finance commissioner, that she would never undermine the importance of the lawmakers, much less make moves to slow down the activities of government by withholding funds for project execution.
“Here is a commissioner who is humble, humane, and hardworking; apart from being highly dedicated in the discharge of her duties,” he stressed.
Olayemi, meanwhile, commended the lawmakers for the passion and the level progress witnessed in legislative matters in their time, assuring that the administration of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa holds them in high esteem.
“I’m proud of the calibre of people elected into the Ondo Stats House of Assembly, going by the various laudable bills they have passed so far, and the contributions they have made towards the success of this administration, ” Olayemi commended.
