Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
Ekiti State House of Assembly yesterday approved the creation of state police and judicial autonomy in the ongoing fifth alteration to the 1999 Constitution Amendments.
As part of its concurrence to the Constitutional Amendment Bill, the state Assembly also aligned with the National Assembly on the alteration to stipulated rules on how the principal officers of the Houses of Assembly should be removed from offices to ensure stability in the system.
The amended bills were transmitted to the House of Assembly for ratification in March 2022.
Speaking with journalists in Ado Ekiti on the position taken by the Assembly at its plenary held yesterday, the Assembly Leader of Government Business, Hon Gboyega Aribisogan, said the lawmakers ratified the alteration to the issue of law reform in the country for radical improvement in the qualities of laws that will guide the three arms of government.
He said: “At the plenary today (yesterday), the Assembly approved four areas being considered for amendment to the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly. What we did was just a concurrence to the amendments and not further alterations to what had been done by the National Assembly.
“These include the approval for the law mandating the state to have a state police to improve security across the country. We also approved a law stating the procedure to be followed for the removal of the principal officers of the state Houses of Assembly to ensure stability and improve the quality of governance.
“The Assembly also unanimously approved the alteration to the constitution allowing state to have a law backing the establishment of State Judicial Council just like the National Judicial Council at the federal level, so that the judiciary can be autonomous.
“It also approved the amendment to the proper regulation of the law reform to ensure that quality laws are made to guarantee good legislation and robust governance and equality in the system.”
Also at the plenary, the Ekiti State Economic Development Council (Amendment) Bill 2022, which deals with composition and other matters of the council was also passed, while a bill for the creation of additional three Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) and two other bills were considered by the lawmakers.
The bill on creation of additional council development areas generated reactions from Hon Akin Osho representing Ido Osi ll, and Hon Adeyemi Ajibade representing Moba l constituency.
The two lawmakers called on the Assembly to use its constitutional power to consider their areas, saying the two constituencies were long due to have an LCDA or council areas.
In his submission, the Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon. Funminiyi Afuye, admonished the lawmakers to liaise with the appropriate committee on their demands for possible consideration.
The bill was committed to the Assembly Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs for further legislative scrutiny.
The two other bills considered and referred to committees at the plenary are a Bill for a Law to Repeal and Reenact the Ekiti State Polytechnic, lsan Ekiti 2022, which was committed to Assembly Committee on Education, and a Bill for a Law to Grant Government Supports for indigent families with multiple births through the establishment of a Multiple Births Trust Fund.
The bill, sponsored by the member representing Ido/Osi constituency I, Hon Abiodun Fawekun, was also referred to the Assembly Committee on Women Affairs for further legislative action.
