Opposition parties hit majority in Oyo Assembly

OPPOSITION parties now boast of having simple majority in the Oyo House of Assembly with 18 members as against 14 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

This followed the defection of Honourables Wumi Oladeji (Ogbomoso North), Safiu Olalere (Ido) of the APC, and Kehinde Oloya (Ibadan North East) of Accord party, to the Action Democratic Party (ADP), at Tuesday’s plenary.

The new membership make-up sees APC with 14 members, ADC also with 14 members, ADP having three members and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with one member.

Tuesday’s set of defections which is the third in three consecutive sittings of the Assembly is not unconnected with the recent emergence of former Governor Adebayo Alao Akala as the governorship candidate of ADP and inability of some members to get tickets to contest the 2019 election in their former parties.

Meanwhile, questions are being raised on whether the opposition will cash in on and consolidate on being in majority to move for the seats of the Speaker and Majority Leader.

However, some opposition members said that their concern is winning the seats they are gunning for, state or federal, in the 2019 election.

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Meanwhile, the Assembly has again expressed concern at the high rate of child beggars across the State and called on the state Ministry of Environment and Water Resources to get more serious in ridding the state of many children roaming the State.

The Assembly’s call emerged from a motion moved by the Majority Leader, Honourable Kehinde Subair and Honourable Fatai Adesina of Ibadan South East 1 constituency.

Furthermore, the Assembly presided over by its Speaker, Honourable Olagunju Ojo, charged the state’s task force to arrest and rehabilitate child beggars and miscreants who continue to roam the streets in huge numbers.

Commenting, Honourable Joshua Oyebamiji of Akinyele 1 constituency, decried poverty and ignorance as reasons for parents who encourage child begging.

In line with the prayers of the motion, Oyebamiji, therefore, called on the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, to increase its sensitisation on child begging, while calling on wealthy and well-meaning Nigerians to sponsor the education of the less privileged.

In a report presented by Oyebamiji and Honourable Gbenga Oyekola of Atiba constituency on gang violence in Oyo, the Assembly has charged security agencies to monitor masquerade festivals and reduce the proliferation of gang bases to stem recurrences of violence in Oyo town and the state at large.

The report, as adopted by the Assembly, specifically called for the monitoring of boys of Ilaka and Apaara area of Oyo town and charged the state government to increase patrol vehicles deployed to the area for effective monitoring.