Ondo State House of Assembly passed the N14 billion 2023 Appropriation bill of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) into law on Wednesday.

The bill has a capital vote of more than N10 billion and recurrent expenditure of more than N3 billion.

House Majority Leader Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi (APC-Owo 1) moved the motion for the bill to be passed into law after its third reading.

He said it would positively impact the well-being of the oil-producing areas of the state.

Mr Success Torhukerhijo (APC-Ese/Odo) seconded the motion.

Chairman of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Akintomide Akinrogunde (APC-Okitipupa1), had earlier assured that the committee read the bill painstakingly before approving its passage into law.

Mr Akinrogunde noted that there were provisions in the bill for the betterment of people of the oil-producing area of the state.

Speaker of the House, Bamidele Oloyelogun (APC-Ifedore), appreciated the state governor for his passion for the well-being of the oil-producing areas of the state.

He urged OSOPADEC management to be dutiful in catering to the needs of the oil-rich area, warning that government would not tolerate the abandonment of projects.

He urged the commission not to depend solely on allocation from the federal government but to source revenue from other means and shun unnecessary expenditures.

Mr Oloyelogun also asked the commission to train and retrain its staff to meet 21st-century methods of discharging their functions. 

(NAN)