Many Edolites are on their knees praying that the crisis hit Edo State House of Assembly will return to what obtained in the good old days when the members were fully in session.
In those good old days witnessing proceedings in the legislative chambers was a thing of delight for reporters and constituents who thronged the gallery to get first hand information about issues relating to lawmaking in the state.
Presently, the reverse is the case since the sittings of the House was moved to the office of the state Economic Team inside the Government House in Osadebey Avenue.
There is no more presence of constituents at the sittings of the House which does not have enough space even for the few lawmakers who are still available at sittings not to talk of having a gallery.
Reporting proceedings of the House in recent times has been a herculean task. Unlike in the days of yore when the sittings of the lawmakers was done in their official chambers on Ring Road where members, reporters, staff of the house, legislative aides and even constituents have enough space to operate in.
The situation at the moment is so tedious and unbearable. How would you describe a situation whereby the lawmakers, their aides and staff of the assembly are cramped into a tiny office space which was originally earmarked as office for the less than a hundred members and staff of the state Economic Team.
The place is so overcrowded, choked up and lack enough chairs such that about 95 percent of reporters covering proceeedings in the house sit on the bare floor or stand throughout the duration of the sitting.
Today, February 1, 2021, as the house resumed after the Christmas and New Year break, the Clerk of the House, Yaya Umogbai, came up with a shocker that based on instructions from above he can admit only two reporters and a camera man into the chambers to witness the day’s proceedings. The more than ten other reporters were locked out of the chambers thus denying them their desire to carry out their duties as enshrined in the constitution.
Now, you will agree with the saying that when two elephants fight it is the grass that suffers.
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