The Lagos State House of Assembly has given the assurance that it will continue to carry out its deliberations on Thursdays in Yoruba.
The Majority Leader of the House, Mr. Kolawole Taiwo, gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Ikeja, Lagos.
This is just as Governor Babatunde Fashola said on Sunday that he had granted a state pardon tyo six convicts currently serving life sentences.
Taiwo was reacting to speculations that the assembly was not serious with deliberating in Yoruba, and may dump the idea soon.
However, Taiwo told NAN that the House had put adequate measures in place to sustain deliberations in Yoruba every Thursday.
He said one of the measures was the planned training of the House members and legislative workers in the use of the language.
The majority leader did not disclose when the training would be done, but said the Clerk of the House, Mr Adewale Olatunji, would determine that.
He said that members House were still at a learning stage with the use of the language for deliberations.
“If we have issues that are germane to us, we revert to English. We do that to give lawmakers the opportunity to discuss freely, especially when the report was prepared in English.
“It is so difficult translating reports into Yoruba but we are working on it,” he said.
Taiwo noted that the House had passed a supplementary budget, using Yoruba.
Meanwhile, those pardoned were above the age of 50 and had served a minimum of 20 years out of their jail terms.
Fashola, who made the disclosure in Lagos during a dinner party in commemoration of the third year of his administration named the beneficiaries as Lateef Alabi, aged 60; Sunday Oladapo (58) and Sunkanmi Alao (55)..
