Ekiti Assembly Bans Smoking In Public Places

The Ekiti State House of Assembly has passed the state’s Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Bill and the Ekiti State Peace Corps Bill into law.

The two bills were passed after the committees saddled with the responsibilities of further scrutiny of the bills presented their reports at the plenary session of the House. Chairman of the Committee on Health and Human Services,  Adeojo Alexander Ayodele presented his committee report on the prohibition of smoking in the public places bill while Ogundele Folorunso presented the report on the Peace Corps bill.

The bill on the prohibition of smoking in public places is a private bill sponsored by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Orisalade Adetunji.

The Peace Corps bill seeks to establish a peace corps to assist law enforcement agencies in the maintenance of communal peace and security in the state. The two reports were adopted and unanimously approved by the lawmakers.

The House of Assembly also approved the 2012 appropriation bills of the 16 council areas in the state. The House had about three months ago mandated its Committees on Finance and Appropriation, and Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs to further work on the proposed budget of the councils.

Presenting the report of the committees on the floor of the House, the chairman of the Committee on Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ade Ajayi, said the caretaker committees of the councils were invited to defend their budgets. Ajayi said the committees approved a realistic budget that would enhance development at the grassroots.

He said the committees increased the capital project of the 16 councils by N100 million, as a grant for the renovation of buildings in primary schools in the state.

The committee recommended that concentration should be given to capital projects that could enhance development at the local levels, rather than huge allocations for recurrent expenditures.

It also recommended that councils should strengthen their budget office to enhance an error free budget proposal in the future.

Source: Legit.ng