The Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Aliyu Yusuf, has announced that the legislature passed 59 of the 76 bills considered over the past three years – a passage rate of 77.6 per cent.
Mr Yusuf revealed the figures on Thursday in Lokoja during the third-anniversary event of the Eighth Assembly’s third legislative session. He attributed the achievement to the assembly’s commitment to effective lawmaking, prudent resource appropriation, and sustained support for development projects across the state.
According to the Speaker, the assembly received 23 bills during the current legislative session – comprising 19 Executive Bills and four Private Member Bills. Of these, 19 have been passed into law, while four remain under committee scrutiny.
Cumulatively, over the three-year period, the assembly has considered 76 bills: 55 Executive Bills and 21 Private Member Bills. The current session alone recorded an 82.6 per cent passage rate.
“This is evidence of high legislative productivity and strong engagement with both executive and member-sponsored legislation,” Mr Yusuf said.
He described the assembly as stable, focused, productive, and people-oriented, noting that its activities had remained rancour-free since inauguration. He added that the legislature had fully discharged its constitutional mandate of lawmaking, appropriation, and oversight in the interest of Kogi’s citizens.
The Speaker credited the assembly’s achievements to unity among lawmakers and a cordial working relationship with Governor Ahmed Ododo. Major development projects, he explained – including road construction and rehabilitation in urban and rural communities, upgrading of healthcare facilities, recruitment of health personnel, establishment of tertiary institutions, and payment of student examination fees – were made possible through legislative approval and appropriation of public funds.
“The legislature holds the power of appropriation and lawmaking. We authorise the expenditure of public resources and create the legal framework within which government programmes operate,” Mr Yusuf said.
He commended the Governor for his open-door policy and commitment to collaboration with the legislature, stating that the partnership had accelerated development in the state. He urged lawmakers to remain dedicated to their constituents’ interests and to uphold transparency, accountability, and good governance.
Mr Yusuf pledged that the assembly would continue to work with the executive arm, traditional rulers, religious organisations, civil society groups, and citizens to promote sustainable development in Kogi.
Several lawmakers who spoke at the event praised the assembly’s achievements and lauded the Governor for fostering harmonious executive-legislative relations.
The assembly also confirmed the appointment of retired Air Vice Marshal Umar Farouk as chairman of the Kogi State Security Trust Fund.