• Thursday, March 28, 2024
businessday logo

BusinessDay

Lagos anti-corruption bill scales second reading

2023: 394 candidates jostling for 40 Lagos Assembly seats-INEC

The Lagos State Anti-Corruption and Transparency Commission 2022 Bill has scaled its second reading at the state’s House of Assembly.

Victor Akande, the Chairman, House Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Public Petitions, & LASIEC, made this known during the plenary on Tuesday.

Akande noted that the amendment was a result of the lacunas the extant law created and as such, they need for amendment.

The lawmaker said the amendment was in a bid to put an end to corruption and achieve transparency in the public sector.

“The amendment of the long title of the bill be changed to read “Lagos State Anti-corruption and Transparency Commission. The secretary of the commission is to possess the qualification of a legal practitioner with not less than 10 years’ experience,’’ he said.

Read also: Reps probe NAFDAC over revenue under-declaration

Gbolahan Yishawu submitted that the amendment showed that the House was responsive in spite of the recent passage of the bill into law in 2021.

Yishawu said the amendment would by extension further strengthen the law.

Also, Sanai Agunbiade, the House Majority Leader, said the ultimate objective of the law was to ensure transparency in the finances of the government.

Agunbiade noted that the new title proposed captured the purpose of the commission which was to rid governance of corruption.

To this end, the Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa committed the amended bill to the House Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Public Petitions & LASIEC to report its findings in a week.

In a related development, the speaker announced the confirmation of Salami Adeniji as the state Auditor-General.

Subsequently, Obasa directed Olalekan Onafeko to forward the approval of the nominee to the Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.