By Richard Thomas, Ibadan
Oyo State House of Assembly on Thursday passed seven executive Bills for the second reading.
This was in line with the intention of governor Oluseyi Makinde to have structural adjustment on the state ministries.
The Bills included the stablishment of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion; Ministry of Special Duties Bill; Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industries, Ministry of Public Works, Infrastructure and Transport; Ministry of environment and Natural Resources Bill; Ministry of Information and Mass Mobilization and Ministry of Budget and Planning Bill.
The Bills, according to the excutive are to put the State on the path of posterity and upgrade its governance to a global structural practice.
Speaking on the bills, the lawmaker representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju State constituency, Hon. Bamidele Adeola noted that the new ministries Bill is to restructure the existing ones and adjust how their components are put together for proper functioning.
According to him, aim of the Executive on the bills is to break out the old norms, adding that if the ministries are properly handled, it will bring lot of changes to the State.
Hon Adeola said they are not new ministries, but can be called a kind of reshuffle because the aim is to marry the right and suitable components together to form a ministries.
“For instance, the former ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources is proposed to become Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development which we believe will make it more effective.
“We are calling on the executive to ensure round pegs are placed in round holes, so that the strategy and efforts would not be seen as mere body exercise if there are no corresponding results.”
In his remark, the Speaker, Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin assured that efforts put together by the lawmakers on the exercise, was to make sure the executive Bills serve good purpose.
“We have started it and we promised our people a thoroughly review Bills, with clear definition of responsibilities for the proposed ministries before they will be passed to the executive for assentment.”