The Ondo State House of Assembly was on Thursday was thrown into confusion as a live snake dropped from the roof of the chamber during plenary, creating pandemonium and preventing the legislators from embarking on the plenary session as they fled for their safety. A source within the House, told Huhuonline.com that the lawmakers wondered in amazement and visible trepidation as they rushed out of the chamber, leaving the snake to escape.
The House presided over by Speaker Bamidele Oleyelogun, was about to commence legislative activities when noise from frightened lawmakers and the audience at the gallery sent everyone scampering for safety and ending the sitting. While at the plenary session on Wednesday, the ceiling of the chamber caved in and landed very close to the seat of Speaker Oleyelogun, who scampered off his exalted seat for safety.
Reacting to the incident, the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Olugbenga Omole, expressed worry over the development and promised that the legislative building would soon be fumigated in order to avoid a recurrence.
Omole, who said the snake did not bite anyone because of the quick intervention of some staff of the assembly, added that it was eventually killed and burnt. The chairman said proper fumigation would begin at the complex on Friday ahead of a general renovation.
The entire complex, built by the first Executive Governor of the state, late Pa. Michael Ajasin, is a sore-sight and has been decrepit for years without renovation. The dilapidated state of the Assembly Complex was part of the agitations of the Eighth Assembly members, who demanded prompt renovation of the building and financial autonomy.
Rising from the session last year when lawmakers were visibly fanning themselves, the Deputy Speaker, Ogundeji Iroju, decried the deplorable states of the Assembly complex, which was built by the government of Ajasin over four decades ago.
Iroju, who is also the Deputy Speaker of the Ninth Assembly, among other things said, “We also decry the deplorable condition of the entire House of Assembly complex and we appeal to the executive governor, who is also the financial custodian of the state resources to assist us.”
While narrating their experiences, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Hon Gbenga Omole, recounted that “Yesterday (Wednesday) when we are about to enter into plenary, a big snake just ran out of the chamber which disrupted our sitting and we had to hurriedly leave the chamber.
“We are about to sit again today when a ceiling caved in directly where Mr. Speaker was sitting. The whole house was agitated and when we look around we saw the damage the termite had done to most of the wood work in the chamber. At that point we had to call ourselves and adjourned the sitting.”
Without mincing words, Omole stated that “that chamber is no longer good for legislative business and because of that we decided to adjourn indefinitely. The house will be going on an indefinite recess.
