The House also disclosed that the anti-grazing law and the bill that established Amotekun Corps were “positively controversial”.
However, the House noted that it had a good relationship with the state executive and the judicial arm of government of the state.
Speaking at the valedictory media parley held at the Assembly complex in Akure on Wednesday, the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Mr Gbenga Omole, explained that there were debates and arguments on the bills before they were passed.
According to him, some of the passed bills include a bill for a law to increase the retirement age of professors, academic and non-academic staff in the state-owned tertiary Institutions, a bill for a law to establish the Ondo State Security Agency and Amotekun Corps to assist in maintaining law and order in the state and bill for a law to provide for the establishment of Ondo State Security Trust Fund and a bill for a law to regulate rearing and grazing of livestock and to provide for the establishment of ranches.
He said, “It will interest you that the House has passed over 63 bills into law in the past four years. Some of the bills have no doubt given succour and comfort to the people of Ondo State, while some have apparently contributed to the general well-being and social economy status of the people of the state.
“There is no bill that doesn’t give us a lot of work because there are procedures and processes in lawmaking. I want to say that the anti-grazing law and the bill that established Amotekun Corps were controversial and became a national issue. At a point, it looked as if nothing is going to happen. At this point, I want to give kudos to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu who used everything legally to ensure the bill sailed through despite all opposition from different certain quarters
“I want to tell you those two bills gave us a lot of work to do because they are positively controversial and had the support of the people of Ondo State and the South-West in general. That is why the Amotekun is a South-West project. In fact, Amotekun Law was again amended to strengthen the operation of the corps”
Omole however mentioned that the Assembly faced financial challenges which allegedly incapacitated many of the lawmakers from performing certain functions in their constituencies.
He added that the legislative financial autonomy being passed by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), has not been implemented.
“For a member to sponsor a bill, it requires a lot of work and finance is also involved and as you know this Assembly doesn’t enjoy financial autonomy, even though the autonomy has been signed to law by the President. Because of this, a lot of lawmakers are handicapped financially. As it is now, if we need money, we have to write to the Accountant-General and do a follow-up. Unless the legislature has full autonomy, we can’t have good governance in Nigeria.”
