The Speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has emphasised the need to convert the laws of the state into local languages for the benefit of every residents.
Speaking with officials of the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, in the evening of Thursday, Obasa said every resident in the state was covered and protected by laws that have been passed by the House of Assembly.
The Speaker noted the need to reproduce the laws in native languages so that it would be easier for everyone to understand how he or she benefits from them.
Obasa, who said the House was ready to collaborate with any well-meaning individual or organisation for the education of Lagos residents in relation to the laws of the state, added: “We make laws in English, but look at the percentage of the educated people compared to the people who are not lettered.”
“I am suggesting to you also that during your campaign you must use the local language of the locality for your campaign.”
He urged the NHRC to also partner with other non-governmental organisations with interest in marital and domestic issues for the goal of peaceful co-existence among couples.
This, he said, is because divorce and separation will never be solutions to domestic challenges faced by couples.
” Finding lasting solution is more important than encouraging divorce and separation because divorce or separation does not benefit anybody particularly the children”.
” I am not in support of domestic violence nor do I encourage it. My concerns is that the marriage institution must be protected. Because it is the society or the state that bears the burden of the children who are products of divorce and separation”.
He also said the Assembly would look into the issues relating to alleged ill-treatment of Nigerian workers in some factories located in the state.
Speaking earlier, Mr. Lucas Koyejo, State Coordinator of the NHRC, commended the House is Assembly under Obasa for passing laws that protect the rights of cicitizens.
“Lagos State has been at the forefront of ground-breaking and pace-setting laws that other states and even the federal government have followed and this is what we want to continue.
“Domestic violence-prohibition law is one major law for which the NHRC is proud of the Lagos Assembly and is currently being emulated by other states,” he said.
Koyejo urged the House to look into issues of casualisation of staff and inhuman treatment allegedly perpetrated by foreign factory owners on their Nigerian employees.
He further said the NHRC would be happy if the House would always invite its officials to public hearings on bills.
