Member representing the Ile Oluji/Okeigbo/Odigbo Federal Constituency of Ondo State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Festus Ayodele Adefiranye, has been honoured with Award of Most Outstanding Honourable in Constituency Project Delivery by the National Assembly.
The award was in recognition of his efforts in executing many infrastructural and social projects in his constituency beyond those of other members of the House of Representatives.
Of the 360 members of the House four were honoured with similar award, including Adefiranye and a member each from Ebonyi, Katsina and Delta states.
Taking the opportunity of the award to speak to journalists on Thursday on activities of the National Assembly, Adefiranye said the Assembly is solely concerned about accountability in exercising its oversight function, and not to accuse, intimidate or witch-hunt anyone or institution invited for scrutiny.
The clarification addresses the popular sentiment that lawmakers usually invites individuals or entities when they have an axe to grind with them.
According to the federal lawmaker, oversight function is carried out by senators and House members to monitor and ascertain that monies appropriated are judiciously and truly expended for the purposes they’re meant.
“I think it’s a wrong mindset to believe that anytime committees of the National Assembly invite respondents to give explanation on their activities, they’re doing so to bring accusation against them or intimidate them.
“The principal responsibility of members of National Assembly Assembly is lawmaking, which includes oversight on all matters for which laws are made. It’s therefore only logical that lawmakers check on such subjects to ensure that what’s brought before the Assembly for attention is really executed as treated by it,” Adefiranye explained.
He also gave the current relationship between the executive and the legislature pass mark, praising both the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate for how they’ve been managing affairs of the legislative bodies to sustain peace and cooperation among members.
He argued that fight with the executive is never a proof of bravery but a play to the gallery with the consequences of slowdown on development and delay of government process.
According to him, if all the arms of government (the executive, legislature and judiciary) fight with themselves in competition for supremacy, how will the society progress and prosper.
Responding to comment that many Nigerians see the 10th National Assembly as rubber stamp to the executive, Adefiranye said people hold such opinion because they don’t understand how government works.
Instead, he commended the leadership of the Assembly for how it’s been tactically and skillfully navigating the pressure coming from the public to foster beneficial relationship with the executive, even at the risk of loss of respect.
He urged members of the public to assess governance by objectively considering all factors involved rather than by emotion, stating that the public stands to benefit more from amiable but honest interdependence of the three arms of government.
The Ondo federal lawmaker also disclosed he had sponsored four bills, two of which were for establishment of a federal medical centre and an entrepreneurship university in communities of his constituency.
On why he prioritize the projects for which he won award, he said it’s because the projects themselves prioritize life.
He said the reconstruction being executed on Ore-Ondo-Akure road was as a result of his motion for it and that he’s happy that rate of accident and death has significantly reduced since the start of the project.
He promised to continue to leverage on his legislative mandate to collaborate with the federal government on further development of his constituency.
Aside Adefiranye, three other House of Representatives members from Ebonyi, Katsina and Delta states also received similar award in appreciation of their outstanding constituency projects execution.
As proof of his effectiveness at the Green Chamber, Adefiranye also received in December 2024 the “Outstanding Lawmaker of the Year” award from the Association of Independent Newspaper Publishers of Nigeria (AINPN).
The award recognized his impactful performance since joining the National Assembly in 2023 and specifically highlighted his achievements in constituency project delivery and his people-centered approach to representation.
Specific projects and achievements that have drawn praise include
Road rehabilitation. In October 2024, Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa commissioned 4 kilometers of road projects facilitated by Adefiranye in the Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo/Odigbo federal constituency.
Governor Aiyedatiwa commended the lawmaker for his attention to the people’s needs and for complementing the state government’s efforts.
In the area of legislation, Adefiranye sponsored key legislative actions in 2023, such as a bill to establish the Federal College of Nursing and Midwifery in Okeigbo.
Other initiatives and projects have included advocating for the rehabilitation of the Ore-Ondo-Akure Federal Road and the completion of the Okeigbo–Igbo Olodumare Power Project.
He also has to his credit constituent recognition in June 2024, with the Regent of Oluoke of Okeigbo Kingdom commending him for his “excellent” performance, noting his focus on developing Okeigbo and other parts of his constituency during his first year in office.
