I have more bills than reported —Rep Akiolu

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By Tordue Salem

The number of Bills and motions sponsored by me, since 2019, has been grossly underreported, a member of the House of Representatives, Rep. Moshood Kayode Akiolu (APC-Lagos) said Monday.

Akiolu who represents Lagos Island II federal constituency of Lagos state said it was unfortunate that he was listed among lawmakers who have not sponsored any bill in a recent report by an online medium, that said he is among the 10 lawmakers from Lagos without a bill in the last two years.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Rep. Akiolu said “Immediately the report came out I received calls from different personalities including my constituents, friends, colleagues and associates.

“The report is actually a big misrepresentation of the procedures of bills and motions in the National Assembly. I am a lawyer by profession and I am trained to make policies for the good governance of the country.

“I am working on various bills and motions. But you don’t just dabble into bills or churn out bills in the name of sponsoring bills. You sponsor bills that are workable and implementable; bills that can become law; bills that can impact positively on your constituents and the society”.

Speaking further, he said, “If you look at the first motion I sponsored when I was inaugurated into the House- to immortalise Stella Adedavoh and others that were involved in the treatment of Ebola patients.

“The motion made headlines and it reminded Nigerians that people who sacrificed their lives fighting deadly diseases and offering selfless services to the nation deserved to be honoured even in death.

If you see what other countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone went through, you will appreciate the contributions made by Stella Adedavoh and other health workers, some of whom paid the supreme price”

Akiolu, who is the son of Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu said “But I am not in the National Assembly to play to the gallery. We have about two years to go in the current Assembly and so there is time for my representation to be felt.

“The problem we have is that many people don’t know how the parliament works. In the US, if you are a new legislator, you are expected to understudy the system and get accustomed to how it functions.

“I believe those who carry out the assessment of our performance did not do their due diligence before releasing the result. However, that will not distract me. I have two years and can achieve a lot within the remaining period.”

According to him, “I have sponsored a lot of motions, one of which is the one on the immortalisation of Stella Adedavoh, which I told you earlier. I also sponsored a motion concerning the state of affairs in the southwest when we were having a crisis in the southwest.

And there are very many other motions and bills that I will come up with when the House reconvenes later this month. But as I have said before, lawmaking is not only about sponsoring bills and motions.

“The work of a legislator involves a whole lot of things- representation and oversight. So, I’m not restricting myself to bills and motions but I’m looking at the whole job of a legislator”.

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