OrderPaperToday – On the bills chart, the 24-member Lagos State contingent in the 9th House of Representatives has a total of 75 bills at midterm. Meanwhile, the three senators from the state have sponsored 21 bills within the same period. Thus, the total bills presented by both chambers’ representatives from Lagos stands at 96 bills. It is rather impressive despite a turbulent 2020.
Sen. Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (APC, Lagos West) has sponsored 11 bills, two of which have been passed by the Senate. These bills are both establishment bills to establish technology universities in Ilaro and Yaba, respectively. His other bills are split between committee and first reading stages in the senate.
Sen. Oluremi Tinubu (APC, Lagos Central) comes in second with five bills. While three of these have been read for the first time, two have been passed by the Senate – the Nigeria Postal Service Bill 2021; and the Criminal Code Act (Amendment) Bill 2019, which ‘redefines’ rape to the extent that both females and males can be victims of rape. It is a shift from the previous provision that focuses on only a “man committing rape when he has carnal knowledge of a woman against her will, without her consent, or if that consent was gotten by coercion”. Tinubu is one of the twenty female (8 in Senate and 12 in the House) federal lawmakers out of 469 elected into the 9th Assembly. It is also her third time in the Senate, having been in the 7th and 8th Assemblies.
Lastly is Sen. Mukhail Abiru (APC, Lagos East), who is new in the Senate. Despite just assuming office in December 2020 upon the death of the previous Senator (Sikiru Adebayo Osinowo), Abiru has sponsored five bills.
Leading the pack in the House with 19 bills is the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila (APC, Surulere I). Recall that the Speaker made it to the top 5 Reps by bills progression productivity index. 17 of these bills were introduced in the first year of the Assembly. Some of his bills that have been passed include notable ones such as: Electric Power Sector Reform Act (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (which seeks to prohibit estimated billing, criminalise and provide a penalty for issuing estimated bills and failure of the DISCos to provide prepaid meters after receiving an application and payment from a customer); Students Loan (Access to higher education) bill, 2019 (seeks to provide easy access to higher education for Nigerians through interest-free loans from the Nigerian Education Bank); and Physically Challenged (Empowerment) Bill, 2019 (to ensure that 20% of all jobs available in Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and companies are reserved for the physically challenged persons in Nigeria). These bills require Senate concurrence to become passed by the National Assembly.
Messrs Benson Babajimi (APC, Ikorodu), Jimoh Olajide (APC, Lagos Mainland), and Tasir Raji Olawale (APC, Epe) have 13, 10 and 8 bills, respectively at midterm. Those with four bills include Egberongbe Adewale (APC, Apapa); and Kuye Aliu (APC, Shomolu), while members with three bills each are Enitan Badru (APC, Lagos Island I); Olufemi Adebanjo (APC, Alimosho); and James Faleke (APC, Ikeja).
Additionally, Oghene Emmanuel Egoh (PDP, Amuwo-Odofin); Agunsoye Oluwarotimi (APC, Kosofe); and Adejare Babatunde (APC, Agege) all have 2 bills each.
Rounding up the bill sponsors are Kolawole Taiwo (APC, Ajeromi/Ifelodun); and Humpe Babatunde (APC, Badagry) with one bill each. These Bills are at different stages, awaiting either second reading or committee report.
A total of 10 members are without a bill in two years of the 9th Assembly. They are Dawodu Ayinla (APC, Oshodi/Isolo I); Ganiyu Johnson (APC, Oshodi/Isolo II); Tajudeen Obasa (PDP, (Ojo); Alli Taofeek (APC, Mushin I); Bolaji Ayinla (APC, Mushin II); Owolabi James (APC, Ifako-Ijaiye); Balogun Olusegun (APC, Ibeju Lekki); Olatunji Shoyinka (PDP, Surulere II); Akiolu Kayode (APC, Lagos Island II); and Obanikoro Babajide (APC, Eti-Osa).
