Six Amendment Bills, namely:- Ogun State Official Order of Precedence of Public Officers and other Persons Law, 2019; State Mortgages and Foreclosure Law, 2019; as well as the State Technical and Vocational Education Board (Amendment) Law, 2019 today scaled through second reading on the floor of the State House of Assembly.
Others include the State Health Insurance Scheme (Amendment) Law, 2020; the State Public Health Law, 2020 and State Regulations Approval Law, 2020, were all deliberated upon by the lawmakers at a plenary presided over by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Olakunle Oluomo at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
All the Assembly members took turn to examine the bills shortly after separate motions for the second reading of the bills were moved by Honourables Modupe Mujota, Damilola Soneye, Adeyemi Ademuyiwa and Adegoke Adeyanju respectively and were seconded by Honourables Solomon Osho, Sikiratu Ajibola, Bolanle Ajayi, Yusuf Amosun and Olusola Adams, with the support of all other lawmakers through a voice vote.
Opening debate on the State Official Order of Precedence of Public Officers and other Persons Law, 2019, the Sponsor, Hon. Mujota said that the bill was meant to correct administrative errors by spelling out in clear terms, the order of protocols for political offices holders (elective and appointment), with a view to promoting orderliness in the running of governance in the State as being practiced at the national level. The view which was corroborated by other lawmakers who noted that it would help promote orderliness and aid free flow of information.
On the Mortgages and Foreclosure Law, 2019, the sponsor, Hon. Soneye and other co-sponsors, opined that the bill would assist the people in accessing national mortgage funds; address housing deficit with benefit to State in boosting its asset on land, adding that it would create enabling environment in the repayment plan for subscribers of mortgage facilities across the State.
In his lead debate on the bill- State Technical and Vocational Education Board (Amendment) Law, 2019, Hon. Adeyemi and other lawmakers posited that the legislative instrument would help revive State vocational institutions, encourage apprenticeship with international standards in vocational training centres towards ensuring that the teeming youth become self-reliant in the technology-driven society.
Members who took turn to contribute to the debate on the State Health Insurance Scheme (Amendment), corroborated the submissions of the Sponsor, Adeyanju, who sought the need for the State to key into the universal health coverage scheme through unhindered access to basic healthcare by workers in the formal sector, thereby protecting them from untold financial hardship especially at the point accessing health care services.
Also on the bill on the State Public Health Law, 2020, lawmakers in their separate submissions said the bill when passed by the Assembly and signed into law the State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, would serve as a legal framework for the people to operate in relations to public health system whether before, during and after any outbreak of diseases, while assigning responsibilities to each stage of healthcare system on the mode of preventing, combacting and planning against any outbreak, as well as avoidance of duplication of responsibilities by health workers.
In their separate submisdions to the lead debate by Hon. Mujota, on the State Regulations Approval Law, 2020, members stated that the bill became imperative as all regulations were expected to pass through the appropriate chain of authority before being approved, adding that delegated regulations to Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government were to be validated by the legislative arm in line with the principles of separation of powers.
Responding, Speaker Oluomo, who lauded his colleague-lawmakers their for robust contributions to the six bills, thereafter directed that the bills be committed to the House Committees on Establishments and Service Matters; Lands and Housing, Education, Science and Technology as well as Health for further legislative actions.
