Members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly are set to embark on a trip to Brampton, Ontario in Canada for an Executive Legislative Leadership Retreat.
However, the lawmakers insist it is a self-sponsored trip.
This is contained in letter dated October 18, 2024 and addressed to Barrister Adesina, President, Ekiti Kete in Canada, noting that the retreat is aimed to equip the legislators with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively navigate the complexities of policy implementation challenges
In the letter signed by Titilope Agbede (Mrs.), Clerk, Ekiti State House of Assembly and obtained by The Bureau Newspaper on Wednesday, the lawmakers also stated that the House intends to visit Ekiti Kete Association, Canada to meet with the members of Ekiti Kete in the Diaspora.
According to the letter, the visit will foster cultural development and share experience that can promote Ekiti State and good governance for the benefit of the people.
The letter reads in part, “This is to inform you that Members of Ekiti State House of Assembly and Officials led by the Rt. Hon. Speaker, Honourable Adeoye Stephen Aribasoye will be leading to attend an Executive Legislative Leadership Retreat scheduled to hold in November, 2024 in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
“The retreat aims to equip the legislators with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively navigate the complexities of policy implementation challenges.
“As part of our visit, the House intends to have a courtesy visit to the Ekiti Kete Association, Canada to meet with the members of Ekiti Kete in diaspora. This will be able to foster cultural development and share experience that can promote Ekiti State and good governance for the benefit of our people.
“We kindly request that you give us a date and time between 13th November, 2024 and 20th November, 2024.”
“We look forward to a positive response and the opportunity to have an exclusive meeting with Ekiti Kete to promote and sustain Ekiti Cultural Heritage through educational and socio-cultural programmes,” it added.
However, one of the lawmakers who spoke to The Bureau Newspaper stated that it is going to be a self-sponsored trip on inter-parliamentary capacity building and leadership training in Canada.
He noted that it is open to lawmakers who are ready to sponsor themselves across the 36 states, adding that it is not limited to Ekiti State alone.
The lawmaker said, “It is a self-sponsored trip on inter-parliamentary capacity building and leadership training in Canada. Its open to honourable members and parliamentarians that are ready to sponsor themselves across the 36 states, it’s not limited to Ekiti State alone.
“The document circulating has 27 names and in Ekiti, we have 26 members. Six or seven names on the list are not honourable members. We are not complete on the document because it’s a self-sponsored trip. Some of us are willing to attend, key into the opportunity for the training from our personal purse.”
“We are to also use the opportunity to woe Ekiti Kete in Canada to come back home and invest,” the member added.
Similarly, the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye Babajide Agbeyo in statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and sent to The Bureau Newspaper on Thursday, also said the upcoming trip to Canada by a select group of the Assembly lawmakers is self-sponsored.
The Speaker said the foreign trip is for those who can finance their journey, adding that it would be for value addition.
“This exchange offers our legislators invaluable insights into best practices and innovative governance strategies that will ultimately benefit the people of Ekiti State. By investing in their own growth, these members are investing in the future of our state,” Aribasoye said.
“This is not the first of such trip and I don’t pray it’ll be the last. We shall continue to equip ourselves with local and international retreats and events within affordable range and without heaping burden on state resources.
“A legislature that is not exposed couldn’t have clinched our recent feat as the best state assembly in ICT integration.”