Attempt by the Speaker, of Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, to use Thursday’s budget presentation by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to settle political scores will forever hunt him and hurt his career, writes Shola Oyeyipo
Whoever seeks the peace and progress of Lagos State and understands the import of the sneering show of shame exhibited last Thursday by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, during the 2025 budget presentation by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu must have experienced a rather concerning spectacle. Inspired by overt complexes but shackled by biological defects that prevented him from properly processing his thoughts and actions, Obasa took Lagos on a short excursion of the unsightly guttering that most likely gave rise to him.
From the audacity of his veiled threat to a sitting governor and his open yet appalling demand for absurd appeasement, it seemed the gloves were off now.
There appears to be no more hiding place or pretence between him and the governor, whom he now brazenly and openly considers a rival rather than the partners they are meant to be. All that had been in the realm of speculations or mere rumour has been stamped to be true. Thanks to the unthinking speaker. At the presentation of the 2025 budget, an event that, by practice and convention, always presents a global city like Lagos, with an opportunity to put itself on the world map further, Obasa chose to make a mess of it on account of non-existent political rivalry, accentuated by poverty of ambition, to expose the joke that he is.
He probably didn’t even realise that there could be some foreign investors watching from different parts of the world—London, New York, Paris, Beijing, Brussels—to see the trajectory of the economy of a megacity in the coming year.
Or isn’t it the same budget presentation that Lagos used to invite seasoned economists and captains of industry to witness, just to show the importance attached to the event and take them through plans for the year in focus? As a serious business, the budget presentation has never been a charade that Obasa has suddenly turned it into, thus desecrating the hallowed chamber. The reason this despicable showing was more worrisome is because it came from the longest-serving speaker in the state. At least, for now. To add to this infantile demeanour, the whole thing was not spontaneous. Obasa and his thoughtless allies in the assembly actually orchestrated it all, spending quality time to plan plain shamelessness.
This included their decision to not applaud the governor after his speech and also not to wear agbada for the occasion but to sport sunshades. Even Gen-Zs would do better. But before you think this is an exaggeration of what might have happened, especially if you didn’t watch the event, you may want to read some of the excerpts from the drivel the speaker called speech.
“…That being said, it is necessary to harp on the fact that under democracy, this arm of government remains independent. This House, of course, recognises this and will always be so, even though we work hand-in-hand with other arms of government. “ It is also important to state here that this House is a sanctuary and temple, just like every other temple anywhere where we all worship. No one will violate any temple and expect the gods to accept his or her sacrifice.
“And if such happens, there must be an appease to the gods to accept such atonement. No amount of intimidation or coercion will disintegrate or change the belief of all the members of this institution!
“Today, we want to assure Mr. Governor that this honourable House will look at the budget and do the necessary scrutiny as usual. But it should be noted that this institution remains resolute. We will never be disgraced, abused, or ridiculed in the name of creating a seamless working ambience.
“Let me also emphasise that those who live in glass house must not throw stones, as the saying goes. This also brings to my mind, according to our people: eni ba yara logun ngbe. Meaning, the god of iron recognises the swift ones.
“In other words, those who are facilitating or planning to interfere in this House or destroy the cohesion of this institution should also be prepared for the same fate.
“May I use this medium to sensitise us more on the need to build and sustain our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), regarding our focus for 2027. We need to continue to mobilise people, just as I do frequently.
“I have made it a personal task to mobilise people on the platform of Mandate, which has been misconstrued by some political detractors as being a selfish aspiration on the ground for me to become governor of the state.
“There is the need, however, to correct this wrong impression. My concern is about building our party, and whatever we do is mainly for this cause.
“To the blackmailers who have embarked on the mission to distort and redefine our mission, let me state it unequivocally here. Our intention is to promote our party on the platform of Mandate.
“Also, becoming governor is secondary; it is something that I have not given a serious consideration. Nevertheless, that does not mean I am too young or lack experience to run; whereas, those who have been before me are not better of…”
So, Obasa and his travel buddies are now gods to be appeased? He went on to conclude that those who had been before him were not better off? What is he even saying here? The question is, who is he close to in all the boxes of consideration for leadership—from speakership to governorship? The closest anyone can relate to him in terms of disposition is MC Oluomo, who unfortunately has even kept and maintained a better steeze in public. From day one, Obasa has remained a defacing character in the beautiful portrait of Lagos. No less an error of choice, which speaks, sometimes to the warped leadership recruitment process for crass political correctness in the state. He has reduced the very essence of the cosmopolitan description of the state and makes leadership appear like a free-for-all.
The question of where Obasa derives his “borrowed confidence” from will be asked at other times. But if he is stoking crisis in the state or picking on Sanwo-Olu because of a reward that will never come, then he must be a very poor student of history.
He is no more than cannon fodder—an expendable more or less—who would be used maximally and dumped when all that is left is a sheer nuisance without value. Again, if he thinks in considering worthy characters for the Lagos governorship, he would ever cross anyone’s mind, then he must have slept for too long, struggling to wake up from a choking nightmare.
The fact that he even found the budget presentation an appropriate forum to denigrate an office he aspires to, promote a political agenda, and hint at group affiliation (mandate) is in itself a failed strategy that is sure to consume him, ultimately.
The countdown to 2027 has begun, without a doubt, and everyone who saw his fickle display of power yesterday would be back to remind him of this very shameful event, by which time he would be no more than a used-up clod.
Credit: ThisDay
