House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, has denied comparing the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Yoruba Nation agitators to Boko Haram and Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP).

The representative of the Surulere area of Lagos is under fire for his comments at Wednesday’s plenary.

A statement Wednesday night by his spokesman, Lanre Fasasi insisted there was no mention of any group during Gbaja’s address.

He noted that the Speaker condemned miscreants and criminals for taking advantage of the separatist agitations to carry out unscrupulous acts.

Fasasi said his principal expressed concern about emerging threats that present the clear and present danger.

He quoted Gbajabiamila as saying: “In the South of Nigeria, East and West, miscreants and criminals masquerading as separatist activists have emerged to wreak havoc, take lives and commit economic sabotage against fellow Nigerians and the state.

“These people, in their inclination for devastating violence against fellow citizens, their appetite for the destruction of private property, their disruption of academic activities, commerce, and industry, their propensity for defiling institutions of the state, society and community, their refusal to engage in debate, or to consider the possibility of dissenting opinions and alternative viewpoints, are no different from Boko Haram and ISWAP.”

“Their refusal to engage in debate, or to consider the possibility of dissenting opinions and alternative viewpoints, are no different from Boko Haram and ISWAP.”

He noted that Nigeria will deploy all available resources to end the insecurity in the country, adding that government must add all separatists in the South to the list of concerns.

Fasasi said what was conspicuous in the speech was the focus on the activities of miscreants, criminals and effects on the country.

The aide stressed that the Speaker never condemned secessionists or compared them to terrorists.

“The Speaker is not alone on the concern about an apparent emergence of a band of miscreants and criminals as different patriotic Nigerians have expressed similar concerns”, the statement added.

Meanwhile, on media reports that tend to measure the performance of lawmakers based on the bills they sponsor, Gbajabiamila said: “Often, Members are most effective when advocating for their constituents in the arenas of government where decisions are made. They fulfil their role in the Committees when their measured contributions help to ensure that Bills are of the highest quality and solve the intended problems.

“Legislators also honour their mandate when through meticulous oversight of public spending and incisive questioning of public officials, they ensure that government resources are efficiently utilised to meet governing objectives.

“Therefore, reducing the sum of a legislator’s contributions to the number of Bills sponsored is uninspired journalism that reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of the legislative function and the role of members in ensuring that parliament delivers on its objectives to the Nigerian people. It is an unhealthy practice, and it should not be encouraged.”

He said the House Committee on Health Services would soon present the report on the Infectious Diseases Bill, noting that, “I sincerely hope that our debate this time will be a marked improvement from what came before.”