- Considers Customary Court of Appeal (First Amendment) Bill, 2024 and four other Bills.
At the Ekiti State House of Assembly plenary sitting on Tuesday 16th July, 2024, the House received the Report of Auditor General on the Accounts of Government of Ekiti State for the Year 2023 in line with Section 125 (5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as Amended).
Through a motion moved by the Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Tolu Ige, the State Auditor General, Mr. Adeuya Victor Oluwole, was admitted into the Hallowed Chamber to make his presentation.
According to the State Auditor General, the Account was prepared in line with the provisions of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) Accrual and complied with the generally accepted accounting principles and practice.
The Report stated that the actual revenue collected for the year was #170,324,951,132.82 while actual expenditure was #130,610,786,539.02 translating to budget performance of 118% for Revenue and 90% for expenditure respectively.
The Internally Generated Revenue collected in year 2023 was #31,792,404,887.47 which showed a significant increase of #15,044,145,352.54 (approximately 89.83%) when compared with its corresponding figure of #16,748,259,534.93 for the year 2022, and this could be adjudged a good performance.
The Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye while commenting on the Report noted that Ekiti State emerged as the best-performing state in terms of transparency and accountability in the management and utilisation of public funds and implementation of public policies as contained in the 2023 edition of the Subnational Audit Efficacy (SAE) Index conducted by Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative (PLSI), a non-profit organisation fostering public accountability in Nigeria.
The Speaker stated further that under Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s astute guidance, Ekiti State has become a model for the entire nation, a place where the public’s trust is met with unwavering integrity, where promises are not just words but actions, where governance is a symphony of excellence.
After the adoption of the Report as the working document of the House, the Speaker thereafter committed the Report to the House Committee on Public Account for further legislative process.
The House at the plenary also passed into law High Court Law of Ekiti State of Nigeria and other Matters Connected Therewith (First Amendment) Bill, 2024. The Bill sponsored by Hon. Babatunde Oke representing Ikere Constituency 1 and the Chairman House Committee on Judiciary and Legal Matters would allowed appointment of more High Court Judges in Ekiti State in line with Section 270 of the 1999 Constitution (as Amended).
The Second Readings of Ekiti State Customary Court of Appeal (First Amendment) Bill, 2024; Ekiti State Customary Courts (Second Amendment) Bill, 2024; Chiefs Law (First Amendment) Bill, 2024; and Ekiti State Property Protection (Anti-Land Grabbing) (Second Amendment) Bill 2024 were done and the bills committed to relevant House Committees for further legislative consideration.
The House at the plenary also commended the Wife of the President, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, for introducing “Own a Farm” initiative as part of the efforts to combat food security in Nigeria. The House also commended the First Lady of Ekiti State, Dr. Olayemi Oyebanji, for being the first among the First Ladies to identify with the initiative and commenced implementation. The House while also commending the Spouses of the 7th Ekiti Assembly for leading by an example by owing a farm, encouraged people to benefit from the government initiative and policies of Agric revolution.
After a thorough debate on the issue of food insecurity in Nigeria, the House resolved to summon the Commissioner for Agric in the State to appear before the joint House Committees to give update on the policies and initiatives of the State Government on Agriculture and also on the distribution of Government’s palliatives.
The House adjourned sitting to Thursday 18th July, 2024.
Signed
Hon. Babatunde Oke
Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs.
