Speaker Bodinga: Sokoto’s Parliament is Helping Transform State’s Devt Story

Speaker of the 10th Sokoto State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Tukur Bala Bodinga, speaks with LOUIS ACHI on the challenges of cooperation with the executive and judiciary and the Assembly’s passing of 25 consequential bills which are helping to transform the state’s development

What is the working relationship between the Sokoto House of Assembly and the executive branch, led by Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto

The relationship between the Executive and the Legislature is very, very cordial and it’s the same with the Judiciary, even though our interaction for obvious reasons is limited. We are three arms of government with different roles, but wedded by the constitution to work in harmony for the good of the people. We are partners in progress who must work together in the overall interest of our people.

A lot of credit for the smooth working relationship goes to the Executive under the able and inspiring leadership of His Excellency Dr. Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto who has continuously treated the Honourable House as partners in progress and with utmost respect. The governor in spite of his enormous power consults us and he always carries us along because he understands that we are partners in the Sokoto State project.

In summary, the governor gives to Ceaser what’s due to Ceaser and like they say respect is reciprocal – so we equally respect him as the Chief Executive and he in return respects us as the legislature – the representatives of the people. We are satisfied with the way he is running the state and the fact that he consults widely.

What feedback mechanisms do your legislature have enabling it gauge the opinion of the people on its performance.

The House has quite a number of feedback mechanisms – public hearings, town hall meetings. We also have a website where every member can be reached by his or her constituents. It’s a functional and interactive website, so members of our various constituencies interact with us online, real time.

We also maintain constituency offices with staffs whose duties include bringing to our attention issues affecting our communities. Without the people we can’t be members. So, we have several ways of communicating with the people. And this is something we take very seriously.

Any politician that takes the people for granted will certainly be a one-term member, because the people are well informed contrary to the impression of some people. And being grassroots people we meet during weddings, funerals and we always have conversations. They also know that they can present bills through their members. The feedback mechanism is working well. And we are very happy.

In the Sokoto State 10th House of Assembly, how many of your members are returnees from 2019?

More than 16 members came back from the 2019 set. It’s important to stress that some members for personal reasons decided not to seek re-election; some members died and of course some didn’t get their party ticket to contest in 2023. So, the number of those who returned goes to show that we are truly in tune with our people.

The casualty rate is not as bad as that of the National Assembly. However, Nigerians must understand that there are several other reasons why many members don’t go back. For instance, some constituencies practice zoning. A member elected in 2023 won’t spend beyond one term. The high turnout of members is a tragedy because it affects the capacities of the legislature. We need to do something about this.

Would you say the 10th Assembly you are leading has effectively represented the interests of all citizens of Sokoto State?

Yes, I can beat my chest and proclaim we have. The evidence is in our work which is obvious. And I am happy that the governor and the people agree that we have always stood by them and solidly aligned ourselves with the interest of the state. Though for some Nigerians, a harmonious relationship means that the legislature has been compromised. On the whole the Sokoto State House of Assembly has kept its covenant with the people of Sokoto State.

Let me be blunt here. Is Sokoto legislature a rubber-stamp parliament?

Absolutely not. Again, let me fundamentally address the issue of rubber stamp legislature. The Sokoto State House of Assembly takes its oversight functions very seriously. We have a responsibility on behalf of the people to effectively monitor the executive on behalf of our people. It’s a sacred mandate. I don’t think there’s any other house that gives priority to its oversight functions like this assembly. I must commend my colleagues because they take this and every assignment very seriously.

We religiously ensure we monitor the executive, even though the executive governor has made our assignment a lot easier for us by appointing very serious-minded people into positions

The Sokoto State House of Assembly has never subjected any bill to unnecessary amendments just to prove a point. I must also commend the executive for sending us well researched and crafted bills. In fairness to the governor, he is always ready to listen to our opinion.

For instance, during the debate on the 2025 budget we discovered that some important areas were not included- an oversight and we pointed this out and the governor was very okay with our observations. I think it’s essentially a matter of approach. And this has reduced areas of friction. Thankfully, there hasn’t been any issue that we haven’t been able to amicably resolve because of the good communication between both branches.

In Sokoto State, we work as a team, there is a lot of constant consultations and because we understand the governor’s position – the development of Sokoto State – we are able to work in harmony. I repeat again that Governor Sokoto, in spite of his enormous powers is a democrat and a man that believes in the rule of law.

Let’s look at accomplishments of the 10th House of Assembly. To date, how many bills has the House under your leadership passed?

We have substantially achieved our major legislative goals for this year. And we are satisfied with our performance. So far, so good. But if something comes up and we are on holidays, we will immediately report for duty. Once the executive sends a bill to us, we have no choice because every issue touches on the life of our electorate directly.

This House in the last two years has passed 25 bills, of which 22 have been assented to by the governor. The remaining three will soon be transmitted to the governor for assent.

The private member bill on Mandatory and Compulsory Premarital Medical Screening is one of the outstanding bills. The bill has been passed by the House, but it is yet to be transmitted to the governor for his signature, so it is not yet a law. What informed the passage of the bill by the House is the social and health challenges that the society is facing as a result of the failure of intending couples to carry out these tests.

Was the Sokoto State Community Security Corps Bill an executive bill?

Yes. That’s another consequential bill that we passed, and we rose to the challenge because the House of Assembly is about the welfare and security of the people. Once the governor intimated us about his plans we quickly went to work. We immediately sent some members on study tour to states with similar bodies. This tremendously helped us in crafting the bill and the governor wasted no time assenting the bill. This is what synergy is all about.

What of knowledge updates? Do your legislators regularly get relevant training?

We take capacity building for our members as seriously as we take our assignments as lawmakers. We don’t joke with training. Members must constantly and continuously improve themselves because the world is in a constant state of change. Take cyber security threats, Artificial Intelligence, etc, members must have a good understanding of these developments to be able to fashion out legislative solutions to them.

Each quarter, our members and staff of the assembly who provide us with the necessary support to function are sent for training. And again, we must thank His Excellency and our development partners who have ensured that we are adequately equipped to perform our responsibilities.

Are you satisfied with the contribution of the Sokoto State Community Corps to the security of the people?

Yes, because the members of the corps are from the communities being harassed by these insurgents, they are giving it their all. The other advantage is that they know the terrain. We lost five gallant members of the corps in the line of duty. The governor’s main objective of creating the corps is to complement the security agencies. And they have been providing the security agencies with credible intelligence which they find extremely useful. They have lived up to our expectations.

The opposition has often accused the governor of not doing much in terms of security. Your reaction…

I don’t think the opposition elements have been fair to the governor who has been up and doing on the issue of insecurity confronting the state and indeed the other North-West states. By the way you don’t expect the opposition to be fair to the government. There are certain security actions that for obvious reasons I can’t disclose.

But it’s public knowledge that the state government has provided the security agencies with critical logistics support – over 140 buffalo vehicles, and thousands of motorcycles. The governor built a military base at Illela for the army because it would help in the war against the bandits. There is also financial support for the security agencies.

The noticeable reduction in the activities of these bandits is because of the huge investment of the Sokoto State Government and the determination of the governor to secure our people. Governor Sokoto has never held back his support for the security agencies, because the people being killed are his citizens.

He is very responsible and alive to his duty. He is up and doing in terms of security and he’s doing well. All that he needs is the continued support and encouragement from the people and the press. So, when the opposition says the governor is not doing well, it’s highly political. And we expect them to increase the volume of their falsehoods with the 2027 elections drawing closer.

Last year Sokoto’s legislature passed some consequential amendments: the Sokoto State Discrimination Against Persons with Disability Law, Sokoto State Local Government 2009 Law, Land Tenancy, Zakat and Rural Roads. Unfortunately, that of the Local Government generated some controversy…

This goes to prove that the Sokoto State House of Assembly is a very productive assembly. Like they say when you want to kill a dog you give it a bad name. So, to derail the good intentions of the governor the opposition went to town that the amendment was targeted at the Sultan of Sokoto, as a prelude to his deposition.

Unfortunately, based on their mischief and falsehoods they succeeded in overheating the polity. The laws that we passed include the Discrimination Against Persons with Disability Commission’s Law, the Zakat and Endowment Commission’s Law, the Tenancy Control and Safety of Persons Commission Law, which by their functions can only function as agencies of government and not as commissions like the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice said in his presentation during the consideration of the amendment to the bills.

The amendment was absolutely necessary in order to bring these laws into conformity with the Nigerian Constitution. And the House wholeheartedly agreed with his submission and that of other stakeholders. After the local government bill was passed, I am happy the people finally understood that they were misled by the opposition despite our efforts to convince them that the bill had nothing to do with the Chieftaincy Appointment and Deposition Law, which is the one that relates to the removal of the Sultan.

Thankfully, we stood our ground and everyone is enjoying the benefits of all the bills that we have passed. As a result of the rural roads law the governor has been able to construct several roads. Those roads wouldn’t have been possible without the instrumentality of the law.

The amendment of the local government law changed the tenure of the Chairmen and Councilors from two to three years. For a governor who ran on a 9- Point Smart Agenda that includes Local Government Autonomy, this amendment was very important to him.

In all honesty what can an elected chairman achieve in two years? The answer is – very little. This explains why the governor deemed it necessary to increase their tenure to enable them initiate and execute projects. The last administration changed the law to two years in 2016, before that amendment the tenure was three years.

The other amendment was in respect of Section 76 of the Local Government Law as it relates to the functions of the Sultanate Council in the appointment of districts and villages heads.

The Attorney General enlightened the people of the state during the Public Hearing, that under the Nigerian constitution, executive powers are vested in the governor, and that it’s the governor that can appoint, while the Sultanate Council can only recommend. We have been vindicated by the outcome.