THE PRESENTATION MADE BY SPEAKER, DELTA STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY, RT HON SHERIFF OBOREVWORI ON TUESDAY JULY 25,2017 WHEN GOVERNOR OKOWA SIGNED 5 (FIVE) BILLS INTO LAW RECENTLY PASSED BY THE DELTA STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY.
Your Excellency Sir, today mark a significant day for the State and in particular the effort of this administration to make Delta State an investment haven for investors.
We are before you today to present five very important Bills passed by the House for your assent. These Bills when assented to, will create confidence in investors, shore up the revenue base of the State, provide succour to sufferers of HIV/AIDS, increase opportunity in the education sector and will open up avalanche of modern farming technology to our people.
The Bills are namely:
Delta State Investment Development Agency Bill, 2016;
Delta State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS Bill, 2016;
Delta State College of Education, Mosogar Bill, 2016; and
Delta State Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
Delta State Hotel Occupancy Restaurant and Departmental Stores Consumption Tax Bill, 2017.
Your Excellency Sir, please permit me to give a brief remarkable history of the above Bills:
Delta State Investment Development Agency Bill, 2016
The objectives of this Bill among others are as follows:
To advise the State Government on fiscal policy matters aimed at promoting economic development;
To promote foreign and local investment in the State; and
To make policy guidelines, rules and regulations for the promotion of investment in the State.
To fulfil constitutional requirement, the Bill went through the following established stages in the House:
1st Reading – 9th February, 2016
2nd Reading – 23rd February, 2016
3rd Reading and passed – 24th November, 2016.
Delta State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS Bill, 2016
The aim of this Bill is to achieve the following:
To formulate policies and guidelines on HIV/AIDS;
To plan and coordinate the activities of the various sectors in the State’s HIV/AIDS programme; and
Provide advice for the mainstreaming of HIV/AIDS prevention in all sectors of the society in the State.
The Bill was taken through the following stages:
1st Reading – 1st December, 2015
2nd Reading – 20th December, 2015
3rd Reading and passed – 26th August, 2016.
Delta State College of Education, Mosogar Bill, 2016
This Bill repealed the Delta State College of Physical Education Law, 2013 and established the Delta State College of Education, Mosogar 2016 to promote the following:
Encourage the advancement of learning;
Provide courses in education subjects/disciplines;
Provide in-service training courses for all grades of graduate;
Mould the attitude of young student teachers in the area of education; and
Positive values leading to the manpower needs of the State and the Country as it relates to sports.
Accordingly, this Bill went through the following stages:
1st Reading – 25th October, 2016
2nd Reading – 9th November, 2016
3rd Reading and passed – 7th February, 2017
Delta State Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
This Bill is an amendment to the Delta State Agricultural and Rural Development Authority Law, Laws of Delta State 2006. It seeks to effect the following:
Facilitate access of farmers to seed, cuttings, seedlings, fingerlings, fertilizer, crops, fish and rearing of livestock;
Sensitize, teach, educate and enlighten farmers on availability and use of modern and more effective farming processing and storage technology methods; and
Disseminate improved farming and farm management methods and practices to farmers and fisher folks in the State.
According to procedure, the Bill was taken through the following stages:
1st Reading – 1st June, 2016
2nd Reading – 19th July, 2016
3rd Reading and passed – 30th November, 2016.
Delta State Hotel Occupancy Restaurant and Departmental Stores Consumption Tax Bill, 2017.
This Bill seeks to regulate payment of consumption goods and services tax in the State.
The Bill also went through the following established stages on the floor of the House:
1st Reading – 24th May, 2017
2nd Reading – 31st May, 2017
3rd Reading and passed – 13th June, 2017.
It is my pleasure at this juncture to present the Bills for your assent.
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY TO THE SPEAKER DELTA STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY.