Like Rivers, Lagos Assembly passes VAT, Anti-Open Grazing Bills

 

.Receives Sanwo-Olu’s request to amend 2021 Appropriation Law

 

IBRAHIM QUADRI

 

Barely 24 hours after public hearings, the Lagos State House of Assembly on Thursday passed the State’s Value Added Tax (VAT) and Anti-Open Grazing Bills.

 

The Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa directed the Acting Clerk of the House, Mr. Olalekan Onafeko, to transmit a clean copy to the State Governor, Mr  Babajide Sanwo-Olu for assent.

 

The two Bills were passed after unanimous votes by the lawmakers at the sitting where they were read the third time.

 

 

Immediately after their passage, Speaker Obasa commended his colleagues for their passion to see that the State continues to grow.

 

“I Thank you all for this historic exercise,” Obasa said.

 

Recall that the House held separate public hearings on the Bills on Wednesday with stakeholders expressing support.

 

It would be recalled that the House had prescribed 21-year-jail term for herders who illegally carried arms in a Bill tittled, “Prohibition of Open Cattle Grazing Bill, 2021,” sent to the State House of Assembly by the executive.

 

While debating the Bill during plenary session on Monday, members of the House had condemned the incessant moving of cattle by herders openly on farmers and roads in the State, adding that trespassing on people’s land would continue to threaten peaceful coexistence in the country.

 

The State Goverment, through the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Moyosere Onigbanjo (SAN) had vowed to enforce the law on VAT, noting that no booby trap would hinder its implementation in the State.

 

This was a position canvassed by Onigbanjo (SAN) during a public hearing at the State House of Assembly on ‘A Bill for a law to impose and charge value Added Tax on certain goods and services provided for the administration of the tax and other Related Matters.’

 

Onigbanjo was responding to a representative of civil society organizations, Mr Adeola Samuel who cautioned the State Government over the execution of the judgment in favour of Rivers State.

Lagos Assembly receives Sanwo-Olu’s request to amend 2021 Appropriation Law

 

The Lagos State House of Assembly,  has received Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s  request  to amend the 2021 Appropriation Law, almost nine months after its passage.

 

The Speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, made the announcement at  plenary  on Thursday.

 

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls  that the  assembly on Dec. 29, 2020, passed the state government’s N1.164 trillion budget for 2021.

 

Obasa said the governor was requesting the assembly to authorise the reordering of N460.58 billion,  to N496.26 billion for the recurrent expenditure; and N702.93 billion to N759.59 billion,  for the capital expenditure.

 

He said: “The governor also asked that the budget size of N1.163 trillion, be revised to N1.255 trillion for the year ending Dec. 31, 2021.”

 

The speaker, thereafter,  committed the governor’s request to the house Committee on Economic Planning and Budget.

 

Obasa added that the committee was to report  its findings to the house in one week.