22nd May, 2017
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
National leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu says the nation will never allow the military to rule again, vowing that coup plotters will be resisted.
Tinubu spoke on Monday at the Special Parliamentary Session to mark Lagos at 50 celebration at the State House of Assembly, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.
He said the nation had gone too far to allow a thing like military coup to happen again, as such move would be resisted at all cost.
Tinubu said the news was everywhere that some people were trying to entice the military out of the barrack to stage a coup, saying that such move would be resisted.
He said those who thought they could scuttle the democracy for which many died and sacrificed their lives for were surely mistaken as Nigeria had gone too far for such a thing to happen.
The APC chieftain said Lagos State would never provide a fertile ground for coup plotters to hatch their evil ideas, saying that the state would resist such move.
“Some people have been trying to entice the military out of the barrack. I want to lend my voice to this, those who think they can break democracy for which many died, sacrificed their lives are surely mistaken.
“Nigeria has come too far for that thing to happen, those people will find no fertile ground to plant their seed in Lagos, we will not buy their product, it is a bad product, we will reject it, Lagos will resist it, move away from it,” he said.
However, the former governor charged the State Assembly not to neglect its oversight functions, saying that the House must ensure that no executive money was spent without due approval.
“All executive actions must have the authority of the law, before any money is spent, the House must approve it,” he said, adding that the House must exercise its power within he ambit of the law.
Tinubu said during his tenure as governor of Lagos, the interface between his administration and the House was very cordial.
“We succeeded in taken Lagos to an enviable height, we set the agenda for progress and today that progress is being felt because the executive and legislature cooperated. This has continued from Fashola to Ambode. This cooperation does not erode on your oversight responsibility,” he said.
Also speaking, Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode said since creation, the state had been a shining example and critical hub of socio-economic and political development, saying that the harmonious relationship between the three arms of government in Nigeria which is reflective in the governance model of Lagos State promoted the interest and welfare of the people.
“Today, we are celebrating the contributions of the Lagos State House of Assembly, particularly the 8th Assembly in the last two years, to the true principles of democratic governance through passage of Bills that advance the principle of governance and promotion of social welfare of the people within the ambits of the Law.
“It is on record that military incursion into governance has always made the legislature its first victim by suspending the constitution with all powers against the wishes of our people. Therefore, the Legislature can be said to be the most exposed in governance model in the current democratic dispensation, if we have to give its true meaning and relevance in a representative government,” he said.
Ambode added that in spite of this chequered history, the first to 8th Assemblies of the Lagos State House of Assembly had been the benchmark for assessing legislative business in governance of the Nigerian State, stressing that the 8th Assembly, in particular had been highly responsive and innovative in fulfilling its constitutional obligations and meeting the aspirations of our people for the dividends of democracy.
“The superlative performance of the 8th Assembly, including previous Assemblies, can be attributed to the quality of leadership that has been produced through a matured and democratic process with the purpose of providing a democratic process that would benefit our people.
“Over the years, the Legislative arm of government in Lagos State has been a shining beacon of democratic independence and responsiveness. It has never shirked its assigned role or responsibility even in the face of provocation. It has continuously engaged the electorate in the process of making laws through interactive engagements and contributions to the making of Laws,” he said.
Ambode stated that the synergy between the three arms of government, particularly the Executive and Legislature had become the benchmark of the democratic process in Nigeria, saying that as government celebrated the last fifty years of the creation of Lagos State, it had laid the building blocks for the next fifty years.