An emotional video clip of the Speaker of the Oyo House of Assembly, Hon. Edward ‘Debo Ogundoyin, sparked an online high-decibel slanging match in the wake of the 2023 general elections.
In the viral video, the speaker appealed to some members of his constituency, highlighting the state government’s inability to support any developmental projects for his community. Specifically, the speaker told the agitated people of his efforts at forcing a road project into the budget before indicting the state government’s subpar interventions in the area.
‘Grilling the Speaker for 26 Seconds’
Surrounded by furious members of his constituency murmuring in the background, the speaker asserted that he bankrolled and funded a specific road project in his constituency, and he used his position to advocate for projects in the area, albeit with limited success. As the speaker expressed his dissatisfaction and disappointment, a visibly enraged community chief interrogated him, pressing him to clarify his mandate, while the speaker came under verbal firepower. “Do you think I will not sign anything that will be helpful to the community?” the speaker tirelessly stated in Yoruba. “I’ll sign it now.”
He went on to ramble about the fund for the construction of a road project, as well as how the state government has undermined and frustrated the affairs of the local people. “God is my witness; the state government didn’t provide any dime for the project,” he told the people. In a bolder move, the Speaker even challenged anyone who disagreed with his statement, promising to provide a million naira if he is proven wrong.
‘Politics of interpretation’
Many had interpreted the standoffishness and indifference of those in the video to mean a rejection of the man who became the youngest speaker in the history of the state. However, in the face of opposition against his aspiration, the speaker prevailed at the polls for the third time in a row, thus putting to rest the political correctness of his critics and distractors. While the people voted for the speaker despite the state government’s failure in its first term, sentiments within the axis were that he would not only rectify his failure as a politician but also as a speaker who could effectively communicate the plights of the local people to those in power.
‘Against the Run of Play’
Hon. Ogundoyin represents Ibarapa East State Constituency, one of the agrarian communities that was at the epicentre of farmers and herders’ clashes in 2021. Lanlate, Oko, Maya, Temidire, Idi-Ope, Adeagbo, Elere, Onirope, and Akete, among others, flank Eruwa, the town’s largest community. However, the Ibarapa East local government is not merely an agrarian community; it is also a typical rural settlement where the government’s presence, to put it mildly, has been largely ineffective. Indeed, the speaker, despite his privileged upbringing, is acutely aware of the hardships faced by the people he represents in the house. Like any politician who understands the struggles his people face, the speaker comprehends the agony of residing in local areas during a period when local councils have become useless, yet he appears powerless to effect any significant changes that could enhance the lives of numerous individuals.
‘The Speaker is also a victim’
Apart from the perks of office, no speaker in the 36-state house of assemblies, including Hon. Ogundoyin, can go against their respective state governors. They, like others in the political circle, are at the mercy of state governments. For example, most speakers emerged from the overt and covert support and endorsement of their governors. Take a look at the Rivers state political crisis to get a rough sketch of this idea.
In essence, this arrangement, where governors wield control over both the legislature and judiciary through proxies, encourages impunity, abuse of office, and the flexing of political power, as the mechanisms intended to curb their excesses have been captured for pots of porridge. Hon. Ogundoyin’s recent statement on local government autonomy reinforces this dilemma.
‘Autonomy for all’
The Speaker, who also doubled as the Chairman of the conference of Speakers of state houses of assembly in Nigeria, expressed his candid opinion on Monday, May 27, as the battle for local government autonomy between the state and federal governments rages into the country’s apex court. He had argued that the EFCC and other anti-graft agencies would not have required manpower and financial resources to investigate corruption at the local level.
He spoke about the misappropriation of funds, accountability, transparency, and control, and then went on to preach the gospel of good governance to the people. “We widely debate whether local government autonomy is the solution to these problems, and I’m certain that this debate will continue until we determine the type of holistic governmental system we choose to adopt.” Do we adopt a federal system of government or a government that will retain more powers at the centre?”.
‘Speaking with the two sides of the mouth’
Analysts have argued that the Speaker was only playing to the gallery and that he might actually say what he did not mean or mean what he did not say, as typical Nigerian politicians are known for. However, regardless of which side the speaker takes, the Supreme Court still has the power to decide the legal framework between the state and the federal governments.
To take a step back to the beginning of this story, one is tempted to ask why our politicians, both at the state and the federal level, have always been under pressure to facilitate projects by constructing roads, providing jobs, attending to local matters, and building schools outside of their legislative business—acts that have made them look more like the executive arm of government. The answer proved to be unpalatable, primarily due to the issue of local government autonomy. When a federal system, designed to devolve power between the federal, state, and local governments, allows a tier of the system, driven by greed and power intoxication, to subjugate and strangle the government considered closer to the people, the result is invariably unsettling.
So, we need to tell Hon. Debo Ogundoyin that the reason people choked him with personal and community responsibility is because the government that was supposed to execute projects and address critical issues in the local areas has been kidnapped by wicked, high-handed and overbearing state governors. And as far as the current arrangement stands, the cries and hues of people in the remote areas of our state and country will continue to echo and reverberate through the nooks and crannies of the various offices of our leaders, whether elected or appointed until the heat of hardship blows through their respective offices and personal lives.
OYO101 is Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion about issues affecting the Oyo state and is published every Saturday. He can be reached via @muftaugbade on X, muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com, and 09065176850.