Three bills which seek to provide for the administration of physical planning and urban development, creation and maintenance of a viable state-owned residents’ database as well as another meant to reform by updating and review where, necessary some of the State laws with a view to making them conform with modern realities have scaled second reading in the Ogun State House of Assembly.
The bills which were deliberated upon by the lawmakers are: “HB. No. 061/OG/2021- The Ogun State Administration of Physical Planning, Urban Development, Slum Regeneration and Building Production Management Law, 2021, HB. No 062/OG/2021- The Ogun State Residents Registration Agency And The Registration of Ogun State Residents Law, 2021 and HB. No. 063/OG/2021- The Ogun State Law Reform Commission Law, 2021” at a plenary presided over by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Olakunle Oluomo at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
Opening debates on the bill on administration of physical planning and urban development, Hon. Soneye said the bill which was meant to improve on the State urban planning system through the eradication of slums, would bring about the a more systematic monitoring/planning and development authority which would be further saddled with the responsibility of promoting a safe and healthy environment; while creating job employment opportunities for the teeming populace.
Corroborating Soneye’s view, Honourables Kemi Oduwole and Modupe Mujota stressed the importance of pre-planning in physical development which they noted, would put an end to the environmental threat often occasioned by structural deficiencies and building collapse. They called for the holistic implementation of the law through harmonization of responsibilities to ease the process of obtaining building plan approvals to achieve a well-planned society to attract more developmental initiatives.
Taking their turns to contributing to the State Residents Registration Agency Law, members including Kemi Oduwole, Ganiyu Oyedeji, Adegoke Adeyanju and Sola Adams explained that the bill was targeted at building a sustainable database to accommodate up-to-date demographic data of all categories of residents towards achieving effective planning for infrastructural development, security operations and revenue generation, with the documentation of the peculiarities and needs assessment of the people.
In their contributions, Honourables Ademuyiwa Adeyemi, Kunle Sobukanla, Modupe Mujoya and Yusuf Adejojo opined that the bill, when operational would assist the law enforcement agencies to checkmate crimes and criminalities, enhance the redistribution of resources; while addressing inefficiency in archival data and figures obtained by the population census conducted in the past, to aid tax management system for the State revenue service.
Lending their voices in support of the Ogun State Law Reform Commission Law, 2021, Honourables Osho and Adegoke Adeyanju submitted that it was high time the State began the review of its operational laws in line with societal realities and international best practices, with a view to enhancing their implementations for improved service delivery; thus allowing the State retain her leading position in the comity of States in the nation.
The trio of Abayomi Fasuwa, Atinuke Bello and Ajibola Sikiratu, while canvassing for the thorough implementation of the bill after its passage and eventual endorsement by the Governor, stated that the composition of the Commission would aid the process of lawmaking, with a call for relevant trainings and orientations for those saddled with the responsibility of implementing the laws in the State.
In his response, Speaker Oluomo sought for the harmonization and downward review of prescribed fees/ charges payable for different levels of building plan approvals to allow for affordability by all categories of building owners; just as he sought for the inclusion of a forensic laboratory in the database formative stage, with decentralized registration points to allow for easy data capturing by all residents in the State.
Oluomo thereafter referred the bills to House Committees on Urban and Physical Planning as well as Justice, Ethics and Public Petitions for further legislative actions.
