Ogun State House of Assembly is planning to have its own independent administrative agency.
To this end, the law to give teeth to the creation of the state’s House of Assembly Service Commission has scaled second reading in the House.
Members of the Ogun State House of Assembly insisted that the amendment to the old law became imperative, in order to address the logjam created in the old law, and to add value to serviceability rendered by career staffers in the legislative arm.
Opening debate on the second reading of the Bill titled: “HB No. 014/ OG/ 2024 – The House of Assembly Service Commission (Amendment) Law, 2024”, during the Plenary, the sponsor, Hon. Babatunde Tella, who is also the Chairman, House Committee on Establishments and Public Service Matters, stated that there was need to address certain issues that prevented the Assembly from addressing on matters of emolument of the Clerk of the House.
According to Tella, such clause that equated the Clerk to the Head of Service in the state needed to be toned down to that of Permanent Secretary, while those regarding the Deputy Clerk and Executive Secretary of the Assembly Service Commission should be equated to Directorates.
Other lawmakers, including Honourables Oluseun Adesanya, Damilola Soneye and Minority Leader, Lukman Adeleye, corroborated the sponsor’s submission, saying the amendment would assist the Assembly workers to add value to services rendered, ensure proper seniority hierarchy and enable staffers to have their emoluments, among others.
Responding, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Oludaisi Elemide, said contrary to insinuations in some quarters, the essence of the amendment was to address certain issues that had created a delay in the implementation of the old law.
He thereafter committed the Bill to the Committee of the Whole House for further legislative actions.
In another development, the Speaker has announced that the budget performance appraisal that was scheduled to commence on Monday, April 22, 2024, had been put on hold, in view of other exigencies of the Assembly.
He added that the shift would not affect various committee works, including, House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, as well as Public Accounts and Anti-Corruption, slated for the same period.
Meanwhile, the lawmakers observed a minute silence in honour of one of their former colleagues, the late former Majority Leader, Hon. Isaka Nasiru, who served in the fifth and sixth legislative sessions, as reported by a member representing Sagamu 1 State Constituency, Hon. Damilare Bello.
