The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, said on Tuesday that the House did not run a secret cult.
He explained that the House was opened to anybody seeking information on any subject of public interest.
The speaker added that the House was “transparent” in its affairs, saying that it was open to scrutiny by members of the public.
He spoke at a session with journalists where he lamented that the House had been unfairly criticised over the years by the public.
But, the Minority Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, held a contrary view.
Gbajabiamila argued that despite passing the Freedom of Information Act in 2011, accessing public information was still a herculean task for members of the public and journalists.
The speaker complained that the public was only interested in attacking the legislature but cared less about the challenges before the lawmakers.
Tambuwal spoke further, “We are not running a secret cult in the House; we are very transparent.
“Approach us for any information and we shall make it available.
“The legislature is receiving a lot of bashing from the public, but we have our limitations.
“I urge the public to appreciate our constraints. Some believe that we are just an appendage of the Executive, but that is not the case.
“Without the legislature, you cannot have a democratic government.”
He called for “factual” reporting by the media for a “better Nigeria.”
On his part, Gbajabiamila hailed the media for being the “strength” of the opposition in democracy.
He asked journalists to be resolute in their search for the truth.
A statement by his media aide, Mr. Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart, quoted the minority leader to have said, ”Information is power and power of our electorate lies in the quality of information at their disposal.
“I urge the press to always challenge any attempt to gag it and continue to speak or in your case report truth to power.
“We aware that after the painstaking reportage of the Freedom of Information Act, which was sponsored by a member of All Progressives Congress, members of the press are still confronted with poor access to information.
“We urge you to remain resolute and committed to delivering the truth at the door step of many of us in government and our country will be better for it.”
The PUNCH observes that though the 7th Assembly under Tambuwal’s leadership has managed to escape multiple scandals as was the case with the 6th House, it still has the Farouk Lawan $620,000 fuel subsidy bribery allegation to contend with. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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