Having spent 20 years covering the Lagos State House of Assembly, veteran journalist, Tolani Abati, has documented his experiences in a book entitled ‘Two Decades Of Lagos House Of Assembly: Face To Face With The Movers And Shakers’
Speaking at the book’s unveiling recently, Abati, ex-Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, explained that it chronicles the evolution of the Assembly.
He said the book covers an array of shenanigans of the House, including the pandemonium of 1999 stemming from who should become the Speaker from the factions of the now-defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD).
He disclosed that becoming the Lagos Assembly correspondent for Encomium Magazine allowed him to cover both politics and private scandals and interview personalities there from 1999 until 2019, when he wrapped up writing the book.
“It was a nice experience because a lot of them were enthusiastic. The book is a set of interviews of the 58 individuals, both former and serving members of the House. People who have passed through the Lagos State House of Assembly and played a pivotal role one way or the other in the growth of the legislative institution,” he said.
On the decline of the quality of coverage the Lagos Assembly has received recently, Abati noted that things had changed significantly, especially with the advent of Social Media.
“At some point, I was removed because of my style of coverage, but it never stopped me. Doing a manual assessment, today’s journalists do not have such resilience,” Abati added.
Born in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, on December 26, 1958, Abati attended St Michael Catholic Primary School, Ijebu Ode and Ago-Iwoye Secondary School.
He attended Times Journalism Institute and started his journalism career with Tempo Magazine. From Fame Magazine, he moved to National Encomium, later known as Encomium Magazine.
The author is the longest-serving correspondent at the Lagos State House of Assembly. He also served briefly as the Chief Press Secretary to Speaker Mudashiru Obasa. He is presently the Editor-in-Chief and owner of Power Corridor, an online publication.
