Encomium
HON. Bolaji Yinusa Ayinla, a.k.a BYA, is a top ranking member of Lagos House of Assembly. He has been a member of the Assembly since 2003, representing Mushin Constituency II.
Presently, he is the Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts, a position that empowers him to go through the account books of all government agencies and parastatals in the state.
In this interview, he told ENCOMIUM Weekly why he is no longer interested in coming back to the Lagos House of Assembly for the fourth time. But rather, he is interested in going to the House of Representatives, Abuja.
How will you describe your experience as a member of Lagos House of Assembly in about 11 years now?
I will say it has been an interesting and challenging experience for me. Interesting, because it was a completely new experience for me. Challenging because you have to learn fast to be able to cope with your new responsibility as a lawmaker. It is like starting a new school experience completely. I thank God I was able to cope fast enough. 11 years down the line, I am now a master of the game. I am not only good in the act of lawmaking, but also in my oversight function as well.
Would you say your membership of the legislative house has changed you in anyway?
It has changed me completely. First, it has changed my orientation about governance. Now, as an insider, I know how government operates. I now know how government policies are formulated and implemented. It has opened my eyes to the process of how things are done in government. It has also changed my type of friends. Not that I have abandoned my old friends, but I have added new ones who have added values to my life. It has also changed my lifestyle completely. I can’t dress anyhow anymore so that ENCOMIUM Weekly won’t say I am a bad dresser (laughs). I can’t even go to anywhere, at least you can’t find me in a buka eating amala. I am very conscious of where I go, what I say and how I say it.
It has made me to be conscious of the fact that as a representative of the people of my constituency, I have to behave responsibly at all times because a lot of people are looking up to me. I am a role model to many people these days.
I have become a more responsible father and husband too. I realized the enormity of the work I do in the Assembly which takes me away from home most of the time. So, every little time I have to be with my family, I utilise it very well. Most important, the kind of training I have been exposed to through numerous seminars and workshops organized by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji has been a tremendous help in changing my orientation and focus about life in general.
When would you describe as your best moment as a member of Lagos House of Assembly?
You can’t believe it, it is when I received the alert on my phone that my salary has been paid into my account (laughs). This is because many people are waiting for me in my constituency, who I give stipends every month. This is also in addition to 50 street sweepers that I single handedly employed in Mushin Local Government Council and pay their salaries every month end. It costs me N560,000 every month.
So, you understand when I say when I receive my bank alert every month I am always happy because I know I am going to make some people happy too. Every time I pay these 50 people’s salaries, I feel elated that I am touching some people’s lives.
When would you consider the most challenging moment of your time in the Assembly?
Again, it is when the people of my constituency come to me for one help or the other and I am unable to do it for them. Getting things done within the government involves a lot of process. After going through this process and you are still unable to get the thing done, then I feel terribly bad. I always believe that as representative of the people, you must be able to meet most of their reasonable needs at all times. That is why you are here. So, each time I am unable to meet their needs or requests, I feel horrible. Because what is upper most in my mind is to put smiles on the faces of my people who sent me here to represent them.
Giving the opportunity to continue to be a legislator or a member of the executive, which would you prefer?
If I come back to the world 100 times, I will choose to become a legislator.
Why?
Because the legislative work covers virtually all the aspects of socio-political and economy of human life. As a legislator, you have every aspect of human lives that you are involved in. For instance, my responsibility as the chairman, House Committee on Public Account has opened my eyes to various aspects of governance that a commissioner of a particular ministry may not have. As a commissioner, you are only concerned about your ministry, but as a lawmaker with the oversight function you are concerned with government agencies. The oversight function of a legislator gives him the opportunity of a broad knowledge of things that go on in government.
It gives you the responsibility of making sure that things are done by the executive according to laid down procedure, particularly in the area of spending tax payers money.
As a legislator, you can come up with your own idea of how things should be done but as an executive member, you are subject to the whims and caprices of the executive governor. As a legislator, you are your own boss but as a member of the executive, you are under the control of the governor. The governor gives you order on what he wants you to do, but on the floor of the Assembly, you argue your point and if you have majority of the members on your side, you win the day. Not even the Speaker can change the decision supported by majority members.
As a member of the executive, you cannot remove the governor but the governor can sack you. As a legislator nobody can remove you except the people of your constituency. So, any day, anytime I will rather be a legislator than a member of the executive.
Does that mean you will still come back to Lagos House of Assembly for the fourth time?
No, I don’t want to come back to the House of Assembly. I want to go to House of Representatives. I believe with my experience in the Lagos House of Assembly, I should be able to do more for the people of my constituency if I am elected into the House of Representatives. My constituency certainly deserves more than what they are getting now from the Federal Government.
We need the presence of the Federal Government in my constituency. We need better roads, better infrastructure and federal employment for the people of my constituency. As a federal legislator, you have a wide scope of things that you can do for your constituency than a state legislator.
What are you representatives of Mushin Constituency doing to remove the negative impression people have about the area?
We are trying our best. Rome was not built in a day. There have been tremendous changes in Mushin. For instance, I have been involved in a lot of re-orientation of the youths of my constituency. An idle hand, as they say, is devil’s workshop. So, to get the youths of the area engaged in meaningful activities, I have organized many trainings for them. They are learning one trade or the other which will provide them means of taking care of themselves and take them away from crime. Frankly speaking, crime in Mushin has gone down and I can assure you that in some years to come, crime rate will be very low in the area.
We have encouraged the youths in the area to look up to people like Dr. Muiz Adeyemi Banire, who is a legal luminary in the country today, Hon. (Mrs.) Adefunmilayo Tejuosho who is also a lawyer doing her Ph.D in Law, Senator Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon, a prominent politician in the country today, Dr. Femi Kadiri Hamzat, the Commissioner of Works and so many others like that who were born and bred in Mushin and have made success of their lives.
So, Mushin has changed from what it used to be and it will continue to change for the better. Just give us time.
You do not only dress well, you dress expensively too. Where will you say you got this from?
I got it from my mother. My late mother was from Lagos, from Apatira family while my father is from Ilorin. Though, my mother died when I was relatively young, my father used to tell me I dressed like my mother. He used to tell me that I am too fashion conscious like my mother. I like and enjoy dressing very well, there is no doubt about that. Dressing well has been part of me since my primary school days. I made sure my school uniform was well ironed before going to school. It is something that I have been used to since my younger days and I enjoy it a lot.
How do you wade off women, particularly young girls who are attracted to you because of your influence and money?
Since I got married to my lovely wife, Titilola Ogunbade Ayinla, I have no business with any other woman because I have a very beautiful wife.
Is she your first and only wife?
No, she is my second wife by my second marriage. I was once married to another woman.
What happened to your first marriage?
We left each other and I have four children from that marriage. I have never been married to two women at the same time. It was the break-up of my first marriage that led me into marrying another woman that I consider my better half. It’s true that women are easily attracted to men with money and power but it is you that must be disciplined enough to know how to avoid them. If you don’t look for them, they will come looking for you. But if you are disciplined, you will know how to deal with the situation without hurting anybody.
– TOLANI ABATTI
