Ogun Assembly gives nod to Abiodun’s request on recovery of backlog of stamp duties, others
By Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta
Ogun State House of Assembly has granted approval to Gov. Dapo Abiodun’s request for the recovery of backlog of stamp duties owed to the State and payment of consultancy fees as well as reconciliation of unauthorised debits from ECA, PPT and Royalties Accounts.
The approval followed the presentation of the report of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation by its Chairman, Hon. Olakunle Sobunkanla at the plenary presided over by Speaker Olakunle Oluomo.
Sobunkanla, later moved the motion for the adoption of the report seconded by Hon. Ganiyu Oyedeji, while the Majority Leader Yusuf Sheriff moved the motion for the passage of the resolution granting the approval of the Assembly to the Governor’s request which was seconded by Hon. Kemi Oduwole and supported by the Whole House through a unanimous voice vote.
Earlier while presenting the report, Hon. Sobunkanla stated, “Mr. Speaker Sir, we your Committee on Finance and Appropriation to whom was referred the request of His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun MFR, for approval for the recovery of backlog of stamp duties owed to Ogun State and payment of Consultancy fees as well as reconciliation of unauthorised debits from ECA, PPT & Royalties Accounts, have considered same and hereby commend the following for consideration and passage by this honourable House.
“That the Federal Government should be authorised to deduct 5 per cent of the amount due to Ogun State from the refund of the backlog of stamp duties from January, 2015 to December, 2022 due to the 36 State Governments at source and utilise same as consultancy fee; and that the Federal Government should be authorised to utilise a portion of the Ogun State’s entitlement to offset its domestic debt liabilities to the Federal Government of Nigeria from the refund of the outstanding 60 per cent due to States from the reconciliation of the unauthorized debits from the ECA, PPT and Royalties Accounts.”
In another development, a bill for a Law to amend the Ogun State College of Health Technology law, 2006 to create a full fledge Polytechnic of Health and Allied Sciences has scaled first and second readings respectively before the State lawmakers.
Members, those who spoke in unison in support of the bill noted that the pasage of the bill would create an avenue for the institution to access relevant Federal Government funds especially TETFUND for more infrastructural upgrade of the school.
The lawmakers added that the Polytechnic status being craved for would allow the institution to run more medical and technological programmes to produce quality human resources for medical and technological advancement of the State and the nation.
