The Oyo State House of Assembly has cautioned the state Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, urging it to refrain from usurping its powers by instructing the Local Government Service Commission and the 33 local government areas of the state to present their proposed 2024 budgets before the ministry.
Citing Section F, fourth schedule of the 1999 constitution (as altered), and Section 19(2) of the Local Government Law 2001 (as amended), the Assembly emphasized that it is empowered to make such requests, not the ministry.
Consequently, the Assembly directed the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters to instruct all leadership of the 33 local government areas to present their 2024 budget proposals, especially those related to public works and construction, before the Assembly in January 2024.
This mandate to the ministry was part of the recommendations in the report of the House Committee on Finance, Appropriation, and Economic Planning on the 2024 appropriation bill.
The committee chairman, Honourable Sunkanmi Babalola, presented the report during the plenary session.
The Assembly observed what it described as a complete violation of extant laws and the usurpation of the Assembly’s powers by the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters.
This observation was made during the committee’s interactions with various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) during the budget defense exercise.
Other observations in the report highlighted that government hospitals in the state were facing a severe shortage of medical staff.
The Assembly attributed this to the mass migration of doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals to federal services and foreign countries for better remuneration and working conditions.
Consequently, the Assembly urged the executive arm to prioritize the massive recruitment of doctors to Oyo State-owned hospitals and improve remuneration and working conditions in the health sector of the state.
To bolster the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), the Assembly called on revenue-generating MDAs to aggressively deploy high technology in revenue generation to block all revenue leakages.
Commending the leadership of the state Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development for generating N2 billion within three months, the Assembly stressed the need for the government to provide necessary support and logistics for the ministry to achieve its N12 billion revenue target for the year 2024.
Among other directives, the Assembly charged the executive arm, through the Ministry of Justice, to expedite action on the transmission of the Oyo State Rule of Law Enforcement Agency Bill and Project Monitoring Agency Bill.
Noting that the State Auditor-General had been in an acting capacity for eight months, contrary to Section 126(3) of the 1999 constitution and the Oyo State Audit Law, 2021, the Assembly urged Governor Seyi Makinde to consider the appointment of a substantive Auditor-General for the state and local government.
The Assembly also tasked the Office of the Auditor-General for the state to make a timely rendition of the statutory audit report to the House.
