Date: 2016-08-10

The Kwara State House of Assembly yesterday directed its House Committees on Public Account and Finance and Appropriation to carry out a thorough review of 2016 budget implementation.

The directive was sequel to a motion raised by the House Leader, Hon Hassan Oyeleke on the review of 2016 budget implementation at first plenary after resumption from two months recess. Oyeleke had noted that it was the constitutional duty of the House to review the budget through oversight function with a view to ascertaining the level of implementation. He added that there was the need for the House to review the loans which the state government secured through its approval to determine if the funds were spent on what they were approved for.

Oyeleke said the level of execution of various constituency projects included in the budget must also be ascertained. The Speaker, Dr Ali Ahmad directed Finance and Appropriation and Public Account Committees to investigate the matter and report back to the House within two weeks. Meanwhile, the state Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has sent three bills to the House for consideration and passage.

The bills included Kwara State Local Government Levies Approved Collection List Bill, 2016, Kwara State Infrastructural Maintenance and Regulatory Agency Bill, 2016 and Kwara State Town and Country Planning Amendment Bill, 2016. The Kwara State Local Government Levies Approved Collection List Bill, 2016 and Kwara State Infrastructural Maintenance and Regulatory Agency Bills seek to improve the state Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and to ensure regular infrastructural provision in the state. The governor's massage which was read by the Speaker, Ali Ahmad, said the Kwara State Town and Country Planning Amendment Bill seeks to amend the Kwara State Town and Country Planning Law, 2006 to include mining in the designation of development.

The governor implored the House to give the bills accelerated passage in the interest of the state. In a related development, the Kwara State Pension Reform Bill, 2016 has scaled through the first reading. The bill seeks for a law to establish the contributory pension scheme for employees in the public service of Kwara State and connected purpose.