The Ogun State House of Assembly, on Wednesday, passed the N350.735 billion appropriation bill for Governor Dapo Abiodun to sign it into law.
The bill titled: H.B. No. 075/OG/2021- Year 2022 Appropriation of the sum of N172,997,382,275.21k for recurrent expenditure, including the sum of N19, 212,802, 457,91k for servicing of (pension and gratuities, and N177, 737, 767,464.36k for capital expenditure for service of the state government for the financial year ending 31st of December,2022.
The passage of the Bill was consequent upon the presentation of the report of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation by its Chairman, Hon Olakunle Sobunkanla, who thereafter moved the motion for its adoption, seconded by his Vice, Ganiyu Oyedeji and supported by the whole House through a unanimous voice vote.
The appropriation bill was later read and adopted clause-by-clause by the Committee of the House presided by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Olakunle Oluomo at the plenary held at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
The Assembly in the course of the legislative process on the appropriation bill, carried out slight adjustments in the recurrent expenditures of about 144 agencies, just as the capital expenditures of 38 other agencies were equally adjusted.
The adjustments led to reduction in the total recurrent expenditure from the initial N172.997bn to N153.180bn resulting in N19.816bn decrease, while capital expenditure was increased from N177.737bn to N197.554bn giving an increment of N19.816bn.
The motion for the third reading of the bill was moved by the Majority Leader, Yusuf Sheriff, seconded by Hon Oludaisi Elemide and supported by the Whole House, while the Clerk/ Head of Legislative Service, Mr ‘Deji Adeyemo, did the third reading of the bill before the members.
Responding, Speaker Oluomo directed that the clean copy of the bill be transmitted to Governor Abiodun for his assent while seizing the occasion to commend his colleague-lawmakers, management and staff of the Assembly for their unrelenting efforts towards promoting good governance through the passage of people-oriented legislations.
In another development, a bill titled HB. No. 077/ OG/2021- Ogun State Board of Internal Revenue Law, 2021 has scaled first and second readings on the floor of the State House of Assembly with an assurance from members that when operational, it would aid efficiency, promote accountability and transparency as well as boost revenue generation in the state.
The bill seeks for “a law to provide for the Establishment of the Ogun State Board of Internal Revenue, Service and Administration; and collection of revenue due to the Government of the state and for matters related”, according to the lawmakers who spoke during the debate on the second reading of the bill, noting that it was high time the State Revenue Board became autonomous to further strengthen its operations.
The Assemblymen spoke in unison after the motion for the second reading was moved by Majority Leader, Sheriff Yusuf, seconded by Isaac Adams and supported by the Whole House through a voice vote at a plenary presided over by the Speaker Oluomo.
In their submissions, Olakunle Sobukanla, Isaac Adams, Abdul Bashir Oladunjoye, Ganiyu Oyedeji and Kemi Oduwole said the bill, would promote accountability and transparency, improve fund generation, encourage high productivity on the part of staffers, as well as bring in more development opportunities to the State through increased revenue generation.
Responding, the Speaker thanked his colleagues for their robust contributions, as therefore charged the bill to the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation for further legislative actions.