The Chairman House Committee on Telecommunication, Federal House of Representative, Honourable Saheed Akinade Fijabi has on Wednesday stated that physical combat that is characteristic of Nigerian legislative members during a plenary is not unique to Nigeria alone.

Fijabi made this observation during an interactive session with members of South-west Group of Online Publishers (SWEGOP) held at CEOAfrica premises, adding that although it is not proper, it is sometimes unavoidable.

According to the lawmaker who represents Ibadan South West/North West Federal Constituency, legislative matters usually generate a lot of controversies as it is certain that many members will not see eye to eye on various issues.

He said “Both the House of Senate and the House of Representatives are occupied by different individuals with different backgrounds, ideas and experiences; it is therefore not unusual to have these people disagree on issues.”

Although Fijabi noted that Nigerian lawmakers are not the only legislators who beat up one another on the floor of the house, as legislators in other countries sometimes engage in this embarrassing act, he however, stated that that is not a reason to justify the obnoxious act.

“Worldwide, parliamentary debates sometimes cause disagreement, so it is not unique to Nigeria alone. However, having the disagreement degenerate into bloody physical combat is indeed shameful especially since we are supposed to make the law; more importantly, we have children watching our actions, so it is regrettable when it occurs,” he said.

Hon. Fijabi who had at one time been caught up in one of the physical brawl perpetuated in the Lower chambers however denied his involvement in fighting by explaining that while he was trying to get hold of the mace, his clothes were torn from the back.

He however assured that such despicable actions will not reoccur anymore, as the lawmakers have instituted the House Committee on Ethics to draw up Codes and Conduct that will regulate actions of lawmakers and ensure civil behaviour among legislative members.

Fijabi also stated that members of the House have no right to grab the mace which is a symbol of authority, adding that anyone who does so is liable to incur a six-month jail term.

Speaking about his participation on the floor of the house, Hon Fijabi revealed that in addition to his duties as the Chairman of Telecommunication committee, he has been involved in about 20 motions and bills, some of which include; motion on sickle cell anaemia, cervical cancer, stamp duty act and many more.

He however stated that it is rather unfair for the public to accuse some members of the house of not being active on the floor of the house because every lawmaker is involved in decision making. He added that the functionality and performance of lawmakers should not be judged by the level of their activeness or inactiveness in the house.  

According to him, “Legislative work involves a lot of learning process and it requires adjusting to. The fact that you don’t see some members appearing on the television quite often does not mean that they are inactive. They could be involved in some other in-house committee activities.”

In reference to the Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara disclosing that he earns N402,530.37 per month, with a net salary of N346,577.87 after tax deductions, Hon. Fijabi also revealed that his monthly pay slip is quite higher than that of the Speaker as he earns over N500,000 per month. He explained that he earns more than the Speaker because there are certain deductions made from the Speaker’s salary as a result of his position.