Ondo Assembly Passes Three Bills on Domestic Staff, Roads Fund, Anti -cultism into Law
By Elizabeth Oyeniwa
The Ondo State House of Assembly on Wednesday passed three bills into law after scaling through the third reading at a plenary session presided over by the Speaker, Rt Hon. Olamide Oladiji.
The bills include: A bill for a law to provide for the registration of domestic staff service providers, collection of data of domestic staff in ondo state and for connected purposes.a bill for a law to establish the ondo state roads fund (ODSRF) to fund the management, planning, development, rehabilitation and reconstruction of class C and class O roads and maintenance of class B roads in Ondo State and a bill for a law to provide for the prohibition of unlawful societies and cultism in all learning institutions and communities in Ondo state.
The Leader of the House, Hon. Olatunji Oshati who had earlier moved motions for the bills to be move to third reading and pass into law after voice votes by the lawmakers appreciated the entire Committees who has been working for several weeks to ensure the needful is done, and was seconded by Prophetess Atinuke Witherspoon, Hon. Chris Ayebusiwa and Hon Oluwatoyin Allen in that order.
It would be recalled that a few weeks ago, the bills were committed to the committee stages and subsequently subjected to public hearings to ensure stakeholders’ input.
Submitting report on a bill for a law to provide for the registration of domestic staff service providers, the Chairman house committee on women affairs and social development, Hon. Atinuke Witherspoon noted that in the observation,the enactment was highly welcomed by the stakeholders as it will assist in curbing the excesses of domestic staff in the state.
She noted that the bill, if passed into Law will discourage illegal operations of domestic service providers in the state and equally streamline the operational guidelines of such agencies,assist the Ministries of Women Affairs and Social Development and Justice as well as the Law enforcement agencies in prosecution of erring companies and their staff.
The committee equally noted that the Bill if passed into law will secure the future of children in the state via the invocation of child rights Law as well as that of violence Against Person’s Law (VAPP) in the state.
Speaking on the bill after its passage, the Speaker noted that it would go a long way in curbing crimes being perpetrated by some of the domestic staff in the interest of the Citizens.
Also submitting report on roads fund,the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Ololade Gbegudu said that the Committee observed that the Bill, when passed into Law will ease the bureaucratic bottleneck associated with the management, planning, development, rehabilitation, construction, re-construct and maintenance of class C and class D roads and the rehabilitation of class B roads
The Committee stated that it will mitigate careless damage of roads and ensure adequate compensation damages, give room for transparency and accountability on issues relating to road,improve the infrastructural development at the State among others.
The Speaker commended the Governor of the State, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa for the bill, saying that with the ratification, roads, especially in the rural areas will no longer suffer negligence, farm produce will no longer rougt away and it will boost infrastructure development in the State.
While submitting report on the prohibition of unlawful societies and cultism in all learning institutions and communities in Ondo state, the Chairman house committee on Security, Hon Ifabiyi Olatunji read the observation of the committee that the Bill if passed into law, would go a long way in preventing the occurrence of casualties in our learning institutions and communities.
The Committee observed that by criminalizing cult activities, schools and neighbourhoods become safer, reducing violent clashes, assaults and murders linked to cultism, campuses can focus on learning rather than cult-related intimidation, fostering better academic performance and students welfare; and
by holding sponsors and accomplices accountable, the law offers justice to victims and reduces trauma for affected families.
The Speaker after his ruling posited that the menace is an embarrassment in the society and must be tackled headlong, commending Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s political will to address the ugly trend.He said that the provision stated their in should be followed by all instructions, traditional rulers and other stakeholders.
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