Four bills including the Ogun State Legislative Fund Management Law, 2019, the Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency of Ogun State Law, 2019, the Magistrates Court (amendment) Law, 2019 and Customary Courts (amendment) Law, 2019 scaled through second reading on the floor of the Ogun State House of Assembly.
Opening debates on the bill during a plenary conducted in Yoruba language, the majority leader, Hon. Sheriff Yusuf stated that the State Legislative Fund Management Law,2019 would help enhnace planning and smooth operation of legislative activities in the State, disclosing that states like Lagos, Jigawa, Ebonyi and Kebbi had operationalized the law.
Corroborating the Majority Leader’s view, Honourables Sylvester Abiodun, Yusuf Amosun, Abayomi Fasuwa, Musefiu Lamidi and Atinuke Bello, stated that the implementation would aid good governance through the promotion of democratic ideals.
Also, speaking on the new bill on Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency of the State, the members including Sheriff Yusuf, Abdul Bashir Oladunjoye, Adegoke Adeyanju, Lateefat Ajayi, Sola Adams, Lamidi Musefiu and Kemi Oduwole agreed that the bill, when operationalized, would lead to the creation of one stop shop in addressing issues of business registration, access to land and other investment related guidelines that would accelerate other would accelerate the process of establishing business enterprises in the State.
They posited that with the new law, more job opportunities would be created to the teeming populace in the State as it would ensure ease of doing business and creation of enabling environment.
In the same vein, the Magistrates Court (amendment) Law, 2019 and the Customary Courts (amendment) Law, 2019 would help reduce burden of cases in high courts and magistrate courts, as the amendment s in the two bills would create room for the customary court to entertain cases with financial cost up to one hundred and fifty thousand naira. This the lawmakers including the Majority Leader, and other Honourable members like Fasuwa, Akeem Balogun, Ganiyu Oyedeji and Solomon Osho, noted would fast track justice dispensation through access to justice, especially on cases to be handled by customary courts that did not require appearance of lawyers.
Responding, the Speaker, Rt Hon. Olakunle Oluomo thanked his collegue-lawmakers for their robust contributions and thereafter committed the bill on Legislative Fund Management to the committee of the Whole House, while that of investment promotion and facilitation agency of the State, the Magistrates Court (amendment) and Customary Courts (amendment) laws were committed to the House Committees on Investment, Commerce and Industries as well as Justice, Ethics and Public Petitions.
