Sanwo-Olu Approves 21-Year Jail Term For Cultists, Signs Anti-Cultism Bill

 

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has signed the bill for the Prohibition of Unlawful Societies and Cultism of 2021 into law, approving 21-year jail term for convicted cultists in the State.

The State’s House of Assembly, in February, passed the anti-cultism bill, which also stipulates 15-year jail term for anyone found guilty of abetting cultists and residents who willfully allow their properties to be used as meeting points by cultists.

Sanwo-Olu assented to the bill at the swearing-in event for newly appointed members of the State’s Public Procurement Agency Governing Board and two Permanent Secretaries held at Banquet Hall in the State House, Alausa, on Monday.

At the occasion, the Governor also signed three different payments into regulation. They are Lagos State Audit Service Commission (Amendment) Law of 2019, Lagos State Public Procurement Bill of 2021 and Coronavirus Pandemic Emergency Law of 2021.

The anti-cultism law repeals the Cultism (Prohibition) Law of 2007 (now Cap. C18, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015) and affords for greater stringent punitive measures, in addition to makes its software all-encompassing and applicable to the general public, as in opposition to the limit of the preceding regulation to students of tertiary institutions.

Sanwo-Olu said the State had suffered the poor effects of unlawful societies and cultism, stressing that the brand new regulation sought to make parents more accountable and display greater interest within the up-bringing of their children and wards to make certain that they do now not end up a burden to the society.

Speaking on the appointment of the procurement company’s Governing Board participants, the Governor said their choice turned into predicated on their track record of integrity, revel in and professional competence.

He said the Board’s duty changed into to oversee the procurement process, via making sure that public funds had been judiciously expended in manner that might sell responsibility, transparency and fee for money.

Sanwo-Olu stated: “Your principal obligation as members of the Public Procurement Governing Board is to make sure strict adherence to the provisions of the State Public Procurement Law. You preserve a vital and strategic position in stopping wasteful spending and corruption in public procurement. The State Government and taxpayers expect you to hold the procurement procedure as transparent as possible.”

The Governor said the appointment of the 2 Permanent Secretaries into the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure was part of the circulate to restructure the ministry into two distinct offices, as necessitated by way of the want to engender progressed performance and faster delivery of key tasks under the purview of the Ministry.

“I project you to utilise your wealth of information and enjoy for the expedited and seamless transport of works and infrastructure tasks; you need to ensure that we gain our purpose for restructuring the two workplaces,” Sanwo-Olu charged the appointed Permanent Secretaries.

The invoice to amend the State’s Audit Law of 2015 turned into initiated by means of the executive to cope with found flaws hindering the successful implementation of the extant Audit Law, Cap. A13, Laws of Lagos State, 2015.

With the amendments, the Central Internal Audit (CIA), which become a branch inside the Ministry of Finance is now a branch below the Audit Service Commission. This is to deliver auditors underneath one body for effective management and independence of inner auditors in line with first-class worldwide practice.

Lagos State Public Procurement Agency Law in the beginning enacted in 2011, forms the prison bedrock for the general public procurement regime in the State. The Law changed into based totally at the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) model that's a well regulated procurement system wellknown on international great exercise.

The Public Procurement Agency Governing Board members are the Commissioner for Finance, Dr Rabiu Olowo (chairman), Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr Sam Egube, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo, SAN, Mr. Fatai Onafowote (General Manager), Mrs Foluso Onabowale, Mr Foluso Mustapha, and Mr Lanre Olusola.

Each Governing Board’s member has a time period of 3 years to serve in the Board.

The  Permanent Secretaries are Arc. Adebayo Odusanya (Office of Works) and Engr. Rotimi Thomas (Office of Infrastructure).