Edo State House of Assembly has passed a bill to amend the State Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Law 2000.
The passage of the bill was sequel to the presentation and consideration of the report of the House Committee on Local Government by the House, yesterday, in Benin.
Majority Leader and member representing Ikpoba-Okha, Mr Henry Okhuarobo, moved a motion for the House to dissolve into committee of the whole to consider the report. The motion was seconded by the Deputy Speaker, Roland Asoro.
Presenting the report to the Assembly, the member representing Igueben state constituency, Mr Ephraim Aluebhosele, told the House that findings revealed that there was disparity in grade levels of directors in local government and their counterparts in the state civil service. He added that while a director working at the local government council retires at Grade Level 16, others at the state civil service retire at Grade Level 17.
The committee, therefore, recommended the harmonisation of the grade levels of directors at both local government and state services. The lawmakers unanimously adopted the recommendation of the committee to amend Section 64 of the Principal Law by the addition of Sub-Section 64(h).
The new law provided that directors at the local government service would henceforth be at par with their counterparts in the state civil service on Grade Level 17.
The new law also provides that the Heads of Service of local government administration shall be integrated into the consolidated salary grade equivalent to that of permanent secretaries in the state civil service.
Also at plenary, the house approved the request of Governor Godwin Obaseki that the sum chargeable on the fixed and AD Valorem Stamp duties be fixed at N5,200 and two per cent respectively in line with the current reality.
Meanwhile, the speaker, Marcus Onobun, has directed the ad-hoc committee constituted to screen commissioner nominees, to expedite action and ensure its report is ready on February 7, 2022.
