The Ondo State House of Assembly Committee on Finance and Appropriation has commenced a two-day public hearing on three executive Bills currently before it.
The Bills are; the Fiscal Responsibility, Public Finance Management and Public Procurement Bills 2017.
It would be recalled that the hallowed Chamber at the plenary sitting last week Tuesday committed the three bills to the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation for necessary action.
Declaring open the two-day event at the hallowed Chamber yesterday, the Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon. Bamidele Oleyelogun disclosed that the 8th Assembly accorded the three Bills under consideration high priority because they are among the key instruments that would strengthen the entire Finance Management system of public sector in the state in line with good practices and acceptable economic reforms.
He also promised the readiness of members of the House to ensure the bills are given accelerated consideration and speedy passage into law without compromising quality.
According to Oleyelogun, the cardinal objectives of the bills are to strengthen good governance and accountability, reduce corruption and deliver services more effectively.
He noted that the public hearings, which would be rounded off today Wednesday, were crucial for the House to distill public opinions and check the pulse of the stakeholders and provide everybody with the needed space to participate in the law-making processes.
The Speaker said the inputs of the actors from various fields and diverse backgrounds on certain legislative issues would aid the lawmakers.
“As we settle down to deliberate on these three Bills, our contributions must be guided by the fact that the state and Nigeria as a whole is undergoing a change; a re-evaluation, re-definition, and reconstruction across all sectors,” he said.
The Speaker emphasized that when passed into laws, the implementation of the provisions contained in the Bills would boost the dividends of democracy that the people of the state have been enjoying under the present government in the state, led by Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN.
Stakeholders at the public hearings are heads of MDAs, higher institutions, and the Local Government Administration.
Earlier in his keynote address, the Chairman, House of Assembly Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Hon. Sunday Olajide, said the sensitivities of the three Bills informed the public hearing.
According to him, when eventually passed into laws, the Bills would be among major Statutory and Administrative Instruments that would be governing the conduct of fiscal and financial operations in the state for effective and efficient Public Finance Management System within the public service.
Olajide emphasised that the contributions from stakeholders would go a long way in coming up with enduring practicable legislation on the Bills for the benefit of the citizens of the state, assuring that the positive contributions of heads of MDAs would be given the necessary attention to collectively build the sunshine state.
There were contributions and objections from the stakeholders at the event.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance, Mrs. Funmilayo Ajayi, lauded the lawmakers for doing a good job, stressing that when passed into laws, the Bills would promote accountability and transparency in the public sector.
