Leadership (Abuja)
Bernard Tolani Dada
6 October 2008
Civil society organizations in Bayelsa State atthe weekend presented a draft bill to the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly calling for the establishment of an oil fund commission to fast- track development in the oil producing communities.
The bill, an initiative of Bayelsa non-Governmental Organisations Forum (BANGOF) in collaboration with African Centre for Geo-classical Economics, Nigeria, Earth Rights Institute, USA and Niger Delta Budget Monitoring and Transparency Network (Bayelsa chapter), is the first private-sponsored bill to the presented to the House.
It also called for the setting up of a committee on Bayelsa Expenditure, Income and Transparency Initiative (BEITI) and inclusion of civil society members in the committee, periodic stewardship/accountability forum between lawmakers and members of their constituencies as well as the imputs of the civil society community in preparing the budget.
Receiving the copy of the Oil Fund Commission Bill from the chairman of BANGOF, Mr. Philip Slaboh, the Speaker, Hon Werinipre Seibarugu, expressed happiness that the group, as private individuals, could come up with such a move especially at a time most people thought that law making was the exclusive preserve of lawmakers.
Seibarugu, who called on the civil society and the general public to show some understanding with the lawmakers, as perfection is not achievable in one-day.
"Sometimes, why the public cannot get all their expectations from the lawmakers is that, in matters of state, decisions are taken after properly weighing the factors involved, such as risk and security of the individual members and of the state as a whole."
The speaker assured that the bill would be looked into and where necessary, BANGOF would be invited to witness proceedings when the bill is presented on the floor of the House for further imput.
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