Adebayo Adenrele
…as Oyebanji commissions Digital Library built by Opeyemi Bamidele
The senate leader of the National Assembly, Opeyemi Bamidele said four additional bills have been passed in a bid to address the current economic hardship in the country.
Bamidele revealed this in Ado-Ekiti at the commissioning of a Digital Library constructed by him in honour of Late Bishop Gabriel Oloniyo.
The bills according to the lawmaker representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, include new minimum wage bill, 2024 appropriation act amendment bill, finance act amendment bill and one other.
He said, “On Tuesday when we were rounding up for this parliamentary year, we are now on recess; we passed four bills in one day.
“The national minimum wage bill, taking it from 30k to the sum of 70k. We agreed on 70k with the executive arms both the federal government, state government and the labour.
“The FG will pay much more but we have to take the state into consideration, it will be sacrilegious on the part of everybody to pass a bill for a minimum age that our state can not afford, that will compel the state to retrench workers which no sane governor is willing to do at this point.
“We arrived at a minimum wage where a state can still manage to survive and pay their workers without retrenching them.
“We also passed the 2024 appropriation act amendment bill as well as the finance act amendment bill, and a bill that will make it possible for inspector general of police to serve his full term of four years regardless of how close his retirement might be when he was appointed”.
On the purpose of the library construction, he said “The effort to give a library for me is a modest effort at trying to give back to the system.
“Beyond that, it’s part of my own personal resolve to align my vision with Biodun Oyebanji. I recognize it as an area of critical need for our people in Ekiti.
“I will repeat this kind of gesture in all the five local governments under my district”.
In his remarks, the Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji hailed the senate leader for building such edifice in his district for the benefit of Ekiti people.
He said the gesture is a testament that Ekiti state is a home of knowledge where its citizens imbibe the culture of reading and value to reshape the state and country.
“What you (Senator Bamidele) have demonstrated today is tremendous and my message to my people is that there is need for peace, mutual respect and collaboration for Ekiti to develop.
“When there is alignment of vision between the state and representative at the federal level, this is what we get.
“To our Senator, don’t mind what people say, just do whatever that can bring development to your district and our state”. He said
Other projects commissioned include Elderly Day Care Centre, Iyin-Ekiti, Palace road, Iyin-Ekiti and Oluyin markets, among others.