Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has criticized some state governors for making laws without proper consultation, claiming that these laws are often crafted from the comfort of the governors’ living rooms.
Dogara made the remarks during a discussion at Channels TV’s Town Hall meeting on Monday, where he addressed President Bola Tinubu’s proposed tax reform bills. He expressed concern that many governors fail to engage with key stakeholders before passing laws in their states.
“At the state level, how many governors consult when they are making laws? I’m not challenging them; as a matter of fact, in some cases, state laws are written from the living rooms of governors,” Dogara said.
He further questioned whether the lack of input from governors should halt important reforms. “Should we now stop because governors have not been brought on board even though it’s the right thing to do? Should that be an excuse? The answer is no,” he asserted.
Dogara also took the opportunity to comment on the nature of public opinion surrounding legislative matters, arguing that not all reforms are popular. “Then they talk about popularity; all the bills are not popular; I want to tell this audience that what has defined us as humans, most of them were not popular,” he concluded.
The comments highlight ongoing tensions around governance and the role of consultation in lawmaking at both the state and federal levels.
