The Speaker, Ekiti House of Assembly, Mr Adeoye Aribasoye, has advised nominees for commissioners in the state not to disrespect the legislature after being confirmed for the position.
Aribasoye gave the advice on Tuesday in Ado-Ekiti during the the screening of three commissioner-nominees at the State House of Assembly.
He warned that henceforth the Assembly will not take it lightly with any commissioner who fails to make available report of his/her ministry’s activities on how public funds appropriated are expended before the next budget.
“The Assembly is empowered by the Constitution and its Standing Order to perform oversight functions and ensure that returns on how public funds are expended are rendered as and when due,” he said.
The three commissioner-nominees are Mr Folorunsho Olabode from Ilejemeje Local Government, Mr. Adebayo Gold Adesola and Dr Kareem Akande, both from Moba Local Government.
Gov. Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti had forwarded a list of nominees to be appointed as commissioners to the Assembly for clearance and confirmatìon.
Aribasoye said the exercise was conducted pursuant to the provisions of Section 192(1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to pave way for the smooth running of the government and implementation of its policies and programmes.
The three nominees were grilled by the lawmakers who asked them questions on their educational background, pedigree, competence, past experiences in public and private sectors and values they intend to add to governance when eventually confirmed.
As part of measures to ensure a stricter screening procedure, the nominees were compelled to produce Tax Clearance Certificates issued and verified by the Ekiti State Internal Revenue Service in line with Section 38 of the Board of Internal Revenue Law.
The nominees’ Tax Clearance Certificates were authenticated by the Speaker and the Majority Leader, Mr. Tolu Ige, before the nominees addressed the Assembly and responded to questions posed to them by the legislators.
Aribasoye further added that each of the nominees screened by the Assembly must declare their assets and produce completed Asset Declaration Forms from the Code of Conduct Bureau before they are confirmed at a later date.
Laying emphasis on the need for commissioners and other officers of government to honour invitations from the Assembly on issues that require legislative scrutiny, the Speaker warned that the legislature will use the instrumentality of the law to compel the appearance of any officer invited.
He said: “This House will not take it lightly with any Commissioner that fails to honour invitations to appear before it on issues of governance and areas the House has oversight on.
“We will not tolerate any failure to make available report of your activities which must be available before the next budget.
“You must bring it to explain what you have done with the funds (appropriated by the legislature). The returns must be rendered as and when due.
“When you are summoned, you must appear before the House. I want to say that this House of Assembly will take its rightful position and do what is assigned to it as an arm of government.
“We are screening you today and we will confirm you if we find you worthy. Please let all commissioners respect this House.”
The speaker added that the appointment of commissioners was a significant step in the administration of government as it paves the way for the implementation of policies and programmes that would directly impact on the lives of the citizens.
“It is therefore imperative that we approach this exercise with utmost diligence, transparency and fairness. Our primary objective is to thoroughly examine the qualifications, experience and suitability of nominees.
“We will evaluate their knowledge, competence and commitment to our state development agenda.
“It is crucial that we select individuals who possess the necessary leadership qualities, integrity and dedication to public service.
“I will like to emphasise that this screening exercise is not an opportunity for witch-hunting or personal vendetta,” Aribasoye said.
The Speaker urged his colleagues to approach the constitutional assignment with highest level of professionalism, impartiality and objectivity.
He stressed that it was their collective duty to safeguard the interests of their constituents and ensure that the individuals nominated as commissioners were capable.