In this interview by ‘YOMI AYELESO, member, representing Ile-Oluji-Okeigbo/Odigbo constituency of Ondo State in the House of Representatives under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Honourable Festus Adefiranye, says there are misconceptions about the allowances and other earnings of members of the National Assembly:

A few days ago, you and your colleagues clocked one year in office in the 10th National Assembly. Considering your status as a first timer, though a former member in the state House of Assembly, how will you describe the experience so far?

The experience has been so awesome, though this is not the first time of my legislative activities; I am coming from the state but the experience in the National Assembly is quite different from what is happening in the state assembly. It is about your capacity, what you can do, how you can lobby your colleagues, how you are so determined to make sure that you deliver the dividends of democracy to your people. So I can be here and just sit in my office in a rolling chair and at the end of four years I may have nothing to show for it. So, National Assembly experience is a very good experience that everybody may like to have.

There is no way you will compare the legislator at the state level with that of the lawmaker in the National Assembly. The gap between the two is just too wide, because the state assembly has no autonomy. A state assembly is like the extension of the executive arm of the state government. There is nothing you can discuss on the floor of the state assembly,  if the governor does not sanction it, there is no way it will fly. Even if you move it, the speaker will manage it to the extent that you will not be able to discuss it. You are free to say or discuss anything at the National assembly, because of the autonomy. If there is any issue that is going on, what you need to do is to consult your constituency. Once you consult your constituency and your constituency gives you the go-ahead and you can speak for them on that issue; nobody will disturb you from saying it unlike the state assembly. Let me tell you this; the autonomy of the state assembly when they tossed it to the state assembly, knowing this is a factor that is going to affect them, we still worked against it. Why? The governor did not want it. So, as of today, the state assembly bill has been to the National Assembly more than two or three times but, when the National Assembly passes the bill, by the time it gets to the state assembly, it will fail because we need two-thirds of the state lawmakers to pass that bill. So, that is to tell you that anything that is happening in the state, the governor must give consent to it. So, the state assembly and national assembly you cannot compare them, so there are big gaps. For me, the experience has been a very wonderful one because I have already learnt all the processes, the rules of lawmaking and what not at the state assembly before coming to the national assembly. Although I may be a fresher here, I already have some background experience from my stint as a state legislator. So, until when we have state autonomy that is when you can be able to compare what is happening in the state and the national.

What have been your legislative interventions over this year in terms of bills, motions and other contributions in the green chamber?

Between June 2023 and now, I have sponsored four motions.  The first motion was the one I moved that the road from Ore to Ondo to Akure be dualised and we thank God that my colleagues in the House supported the motion. I am very glad to tell you that the design of the road was included in the 2024 budget. Hopefully, the implementation will also be included in the 2025 budget. My second motion was the one I moved when we had a disaster in Ore, when a tanker trailer got burnt and destroyed several houses in Ore. I motioned to the floor. My prayer then was that NEMA should take it up and try to compensate all the people that were affected by the fire. I am still following up with NEMA to ensure that prayer is attended to. I also moved a motion that the electricity project that they started from Oke Igbo to Awopeju to Igbo Olodumare, which they started years ago and later abandoned should be revisited  and completed for the benefit of the people in my federal constituency. That motion has been transferred to the Committee on Electricity which by now should have visited the affected communities. So far,  I have sponsored a bill whose importance cannot be overemphasised. The bill is about the establishment of the Federal College of Nursing and Midwifery in Oke Igbo, Ondo State. I realised that there is no Federal College of Nursing in Ondo State. It is my contention that the school, if approved, will be able to produce qualified professionals that will take care of our health facilities. The bill has passed through the first reading, we went through the first reading in October 2023, the bill passed through the second reading in February 2024 and on May 27, 2024 , it went through the public hearing phase which attracted a lot of people from my constituency, including prominent traditional rulers. We are waiting for the report of the committee. I believe the committee will support it when they present their report to the house.

How will you react to reports that National Assembly members receive huge amount of money in salaries and allowances, including the most talked about N300 million as housing allowance?

I was expecting my N300 million;  I’m still expecting it till now. If I tell you the housing allowance they gave us for the four years, you would not believe it. The house that I rented, the money they gave me is not enough to pay for the house I rented. I am saying it on camera; the money they gave us for four years, because they gave us once, is not enough for the one year of the house I rented. But the impression is that, ‘oh, they have collected a lot of money; they have collected this; they have collected that.’ Anyway, I have a principle: I want to satisfy my conscience and God. I don’t need to satisfy everybody because you cannot even achieve that.  So, if anybody asks me anything, if you say you need N100, 000, if I can afford N20,000,  I will give you or if I have 50,000. But, I will not promise that you should come and collect it tomorrow. What I have at that particular time is what I will give you because the moment I promise you, I have raised your hope. This is why I don’t make a promise. If I don’t have such money at that particular time, I will tell you; that anytime I have, I will call you and that is how I have been operating and relating with people.  That is why if you go to my constituency, I know the majority will say good things about me because I don’t make a promise and fail. I try to do my best to ensure I take care of this very important aspect of our politics. It has become part of the politics, there is nothing you can do about that because we know the level of poverty in Nigeria is high and that is why people are disturbing you. But, beyond all of this, we must make deliberate efforts to develop and empower the youths in terms of human capital development because that is the only way we can grow as a nation. We must ensure the youths have something to do, not by giving them fish but by teaching them how to fish. If you do that, I am telling you, you will have relief.

Are lawmakers giving money for zonal intervention projects in their constituencies?

The zonal intervention projects are just designed by the executive arm of government to help lawmakers bring physical development to their constituencies and senatorial districts. Lawmakers do not execute the projects; we are not contractors nor do they give us the money to execute the projects as against the erroneous impression that is out there in the public. Our responsibility apart from our statutory responsibility of law making is this zonal intervention project. There is no way if you tell your constituency that you have passed twenty laws, one hundred laws, one million motions, they will tell you that you did not perform. Why? They did not see any physical project and they have forgotten that you are not in the executive arm which has control over these projects but because of the zonal intervention, we appreciate the executive for giving us that opportunity. Yes, for this 2024, I thank Almighty God that my constituency can feel the impact of democracy. I have 4kms road that is currently ongoing, I think they have started the asphalt laying now in Oke Igbo, Ile-Oluji and Odigbo. And I still have a lot of projects that I have planned for this 2024. By the time they start 2024 budget implementation, those projects will also start. As I said earlier, you need to lobby to get things done. It is about lobbying. You need to lobby people so that you will be able to facilitate projects to your community. In a related development, I have tried to facilitate employment for many youths in my constituency into different federal establishments. By the grace of God, we shall do more for our people.