9 Ondo lawmakers pass amended 2018 Appropriation Law, appoint new leaders

Nine out of 26 members of the Ondo State House of Assembly have passed into law the amended version of the Appropriation Law 2018 presented by Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

Embattled speaker, Bamidele Oloyeloogun presided over the plenary.

The House disolved all Standing Committees and announced Mr Jamiu Maito as new Majority Leader, Prince Abayomi Akinruntan as deputy majority leader and Dr. Kaseem Suleiman as Parliamentary Secretary respectively.

The passage followed the adoption and consideration of the report of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation headed by Mr. Sunday Olajide.

The bill to amend the Appropriation Law 2018 and for matters incidental thereto, after scaling through first and second readings on Monday was committed to the House Committee for proper scrutiny and speedy passage.

Submitting the committee’s report, the chairman, Sunday Olajide, explained that members of the committee did thorough job and invited concerned MDAs for proper scrutiny.

The committee further recommended that the state government should ensure that the provisions of the re-ordered funds are conscientiously applied to the needs stated therein so that the good intention behind the dispensation would be fully attained.

The lawmakers after debating on the report of the amended version of the 2018 appropriation law unanimously passed it.

The embattled Speaker of the Assembly, Oleyeloogun noted that it was imperative to pass the amended appropriation bill to enable the state governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu meet his financial obligations to the workers in the state, especially the payment of Paris Club refund which was not initially appropriated for in the 2018 budget.

He lauded the governor for this unwavering commitment to the better welfare of the state workforce, noting that what the Assembly was doing is in accordance with the dictates of the law.

The House also set up a committee to work out modalities for the financial autonomy of the Assembly headed by the deputy speaker, Mr Iroju Ogundeji.