No matter your educational background, Assembly is always a learning process – Adewale

Patrick Okohue

Hon. Temitope Adewale is a first term member of the Lagos State House of Assembly. He represents Ifako Ijaiye Constituency 1.

Before his election into the House, he had worked with former Lagos state governors, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), now Minister of Works and Housing.

The young politician’s late father was a consummate politician. In this interview, Hon. Adewale shares his experience in the House and also his relationships with Tinubu, Rauf Aregbesola and Fashola. PATRICK OKOHUE met him.

It seems you came prepared for your new task as a lawmaker in the Lagos State House of Assembly?

I think I have been prepared for this a very long time ago, I have served in the executive arm of the state for a while and have been friends with members of the Assembly since the 6th Assembly.

So, basically I am aware of the functions and proceedings of the House to an extent, though to be sincere it’s still a learning process for me.

*If you are to summarise some of the experiences you have gathered in the House of the Assembly in about three month, what are the things you will talk about?

First you have to understand that the Assembly consists of 40 different distinguished personalities and we may share the same ideas or different opinions on issues. There is also a need to learn how to present your opinion, which is some of the things I am still learning here.

The Constitution was a thing I thought I knew very well, I got to know I still need to learn more about the interpretation very well. There are places that are simply put, but more difficult to interpret or apply.

I also got to know it is not just about constitution, we have been given different kinds of Law books to understudy, every MDA has different kinds of law, you must continue to learn and observe House rules when you want to make contributions on the floor.

There are laws that guide everything. For the first time, I witnessed a Plenary in Yoruba dialect, it was fantastic, I love it, but was not able to contribute as much because of my shortcomings in the language, even though it is my mother tongue.

It is a new terrain for me, totally different from the executive arm, but I am learning fast.

**What are some of the things you planned for yourself in terms of representation of your people and contributions on the floor of the Assembly?

The House is set up to be a watchdog of the executive, uphold the constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, especially as it concerns the state too.

So, the House was basically created to make enabling laws for the people, so I am there to make laws that will affect people of my Constituency directly and Lagos at large.

It is also very important to state clearly that the House has no power to spend, the power belongs to the executive, we are to regulate and checkmate.

We do not have the power some people expected from us, like constituency projects, no constituency allowance. However, we can lobby the executive to help do some projects in our local governments that will affect our people directly.

Like I said, it is a learning process even for our senior colleagues here, we all learn everyday, that is why we all give kudos to the Speaker, Rt. Hon Mudashiru Obasa, who God has deposited with great wisdom to lead everybody.

Personally, I thank him because he has really supported me greatly in carrying out my functions here. There are times I wanted to make contributions but I will have to go to him and he will teach me how to go about it.

There are times I wanted to talk and when you stand up you tend to forget what you wants to say for a moment, the Speaker will be patient with you and guide you appropriately.

Some people believe first timer in the House may not be able to make contribution until after one year, but we have done Plenary five times and I have contributed four times in those periods, I have seconded motions. Same thing happens to other new members

*Do you specifically have some bills you want to push in the interest of your people?

The work of the Assembly is to make laws or alter laws for the people, there are lots of bills pending that needs to be worked on and sponsored. Yes, there are bills I am planning to sponsor in the educational sector, environment and so on.

But there are procedures to this thing, you need to make it known to members individually first, deliberate on it before presenting it.

**Can you recount your experience on your first day at Plenary?

Unfortunately for me, that was the third year remembrance of the day my Father passed away. I was a little bit emotional, the Speaker gave me the grace to speak on that day.

I was the first new member to speak on the floor of the Assembly. I wore black dress that day and made it known that it was my Dads remembrance day, so members took turns to greet me and eulogise my father.

The contributions on the floor on that day were about youth and drugs. I spoke passionately about it because am still a youth, I stand for youths and I am not a drug dealer.

***How can you describe the relationship in the House since you assumed office as a member in the Lagos Assembly?

For me, I am a very friendly person but at that, we have hierarchy, there are three-stars general, two-stars generals as we call them. But we the new members call ourselves the rookies, we relate very well on daily basis, we carry ourselves along.

With the old members , I relate well with them, but the respect has to be there, among all the 40 members I know am the most troublesome, I make sure I torment one of them most time, either by cracking jokes, disturbing them.

There are few times I have even pissed them off, but I go back saying “Egbon, I was only playing” so we will all joke about it but I will still do it again, so they already take me as I am because I will still do it again and run away. But the truth is, they have all been nice to me.

*Tell us a little bit about your Political career?

I was born into a Political family, my Father used to be a member of the House of Representatives, Dr Elijah Adewale fondly called JAH, he’s late now. So I grew up in environment where I got to know Political intrigues, I have worked with the executive before now.

I was former Senior Special Assistant to former Lagos State governor and our National Leader in the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he remains my hero, I contested for the post left by my Father when he died, I was on the verge of clinching the ticket, but Asiwaju called me and said, for the betterment of the party because the party’s decision is supreme, he will like me to start from the State Assembly, so I stepped down.

I also wanted to contest for Local Government Chairman, but was still persuaded to drop it. Before coming to the House.

I had also worked with former Lagos State governor, now Minister as SSA works and Infrastructure, SSA Budget Monitoring, SSA Physical Planning & Urban development and so on. So I have garnered so much experience overtime in the state politics.

***How much of those experiences have been of help to you in your present assignment?

I have been very close to some members of the State Assembly learning the ropes even when I don’t know I will be here today, it has continued like that and my ideas with the executive arm.

Don’t also forget my father was a lawmaker before he died even though it was at the federal level and Mr Speaker has been there to support me as well.

**Will I be right to say the influence of your late Dad assisted you to where you are today?

Like I always tell people, if my father was to be a criminal, his name will haunt me, so if he now happens to be a good politician why shouldn’t his name influence me? When I was working with Asiwaju, my father had nothing to do with it, in fact he got to know that Jah was my father after he died, it was after his death that many people got to know he was my father.

At some point we were in government together and people did not know, I was doing my job.

Though during election, I find it easier because my father was a good man, he laid foundation of performance in the area, everywhere I went to and I said my name is Temitope Adewale, they will ask ”are you Jah’s son” and I will reply yes and they will open door for me immediately.

I rode on the influence of my father coupled with my own competence. When Asiwaju found out that Jah was my father, he was pained very well, even my leader, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola who was like my Dad’s closest friend, when he came to visit us for my father’s death, when he saw me, he asked me if Asiwaju was coming there, because he knew am one of the aides to Asiwaju, I said I don’t Know.

He now said what am I doing here, I told him Jah was my father, he was surprised; he first asked my mum if am joking, my mum told him I am her son, he then picked his phone and called Asiwaju immediately to tell him.

Asiwaju later saw me and was really upset that I didn’t tell him, he said on the scale of 1/10 you have worked for me to score 6 or 7 and if you had told me Jah was your father it would have been 10/10, I would have treated you much better.

Even Oba Akiolu was also surprised, because my Dad was close to him too, he only got to know he was my father after his death. Because no one asked me who my father was, I don’t think it was necessary, I was just performing my duties diligently.

**What are your plans in politics and where do you want to see yourself in about 10-years from now?

I have passion for politics, to serve my people, but I have leaders who decides, in any capacity they want me I am ready to give my service.

Quote

First you have to understand that the Assembly consists of 40 different distinguished personalities and we may share the same ideas or different opinions on issues.

There is also a need to learn how to present your opinion, which is some of the things I am still learning here. The Constitution was a thing I thought I knew very well, I got to know I still need to learn more about the interpretation very well.

There are places that are simply put, but more difficult to interpret or apply. I also got to know it is not just about constitution,