From Priscilla Ediare, Ado Ekiti
The Ekiti State House of Assembly has passed for a second reading the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Bill of N122.7 billion.
The bill was committed to the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation for further scrutiny.
Assembly Deputy Speaker Rt Hon Hakeem Jamiu, who presided at the plenary in Ado Ekiti, informed the lawmakers of the governor’s request to approve the supplementary budget.
The supplementary bill has about a billion as an addition to the N100.7 billion earlier approved by the lawmakers for the 2022 budget.
The motion for bill committal was moved by the Leader of Business, Hon Gboyega Aribisogan, and seconded by Hon Tajudeen Akingbolu.
Hon Aribisogan described the bill as a money bill that needed quick attention.
Members at the plenary agreed with his submission and passed the bill to Committee on Finance and Appropriation for clause-to-clause considerations.
The committee had a mandate of one week to work on the bill and report back to the House.
Earlier, at the plenary, the Clerk of the House, Mr Tola Esan formally announced the demise of the Speaker, Rt Hon Funminiyi Afuye with a minute silence observed in his honour.
Rt Hon Afuye died last week after a brief illness at the State Teaching Hospital in Ado Ekiti.
The announcement led to the suspension of the House Standing Order 2 rule 10.
Order 2 rule 10 states, whenever a vacancy occured in the office of Speaker or Deputy Speaker during a session, the Clerk shall report same to the House at its next sitting and the House shall either forthwith, or at its next sitting, proceed to the election of a new Speaker or Deputy Speaker in the manner herein before provided.
Speaking at the plenary, the Deputy Speaker, Rt Hon Hakeem Jamiu, appealed to newsmen to be compassionate in their reports on issues concerning the House at this time.
He counselled journalists to always cross-check their reports before publishing and not to, by their reports, deliberately add to the sorrow of the House.
The Deputy Speaker appealed to the public and newsmen to allow members to mourn the demise of the Speaker in peace by desisting from spreading fake news about the House of Assembly.