Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has signed into law the Executive Bill for establishment of the State Rule of Law Enforcement Authority.
Makinde, while signing the bill into law on Friday in Ibadan, said that the establishment of such authority would allow for quick dispensation of justice to law breakers in the state.
According to the governor, the executive bill was presented to the House of Assembly to bridge the gap in enforcement of extant laws on traffic management, environmental sanitation and other issues.
He noted that law enforcement had faced serious challenges due to lack of adequate cooperation between state and Federal relevant law enforcement agencies.
Justifying the establishment of the agency further, Makinde said: “We have been here for over four years and we have seen that we do have adequate laws to deal with in the aspect of protecting the environment, traffic laws, and road transport management authority.
“We also signed the anti-open grazing law but some of these we have not been able to enforce, maybe, because we have not had full cooperation from the law enforcement agencies.
“But we have to keep striving for the kind of state that we are all comfortable with and we have been dreaming about.
“So, this is the basis for sending the executive bill to the state assembly.
“I have had to deal with people driving against traffic, leading to accidents causing maiming, even death. We have had several instances of deaths.
“We have had to deal with street trading. People have also turned the median of our roads to dump sites.
“We have been saying these things must stop and in reality, they must stop. So, what this law is going to do is to allow quick dispensation of justice for the law breakers.
“That is why with the signing of this law, we will put everything in place to give a bite to the people that will run this authority,” he said.
He equally announced the appointment of Retired Justice Aderonke Aderemi, as the new chairman of the enforcement agency, immediately he assented to the bill.
He promised that his government would give maximum support to the newly established agency to enhance its performance.
Makinde disclosed that there would be mobile courts all over the state to prosecute breakers of any of the laws at any hour of the day, be it midnight or 1.00 a.m.
“But we are not just going to stay on the enforcement side, we will also have advocacy,” he said.
He urged all residents of the state to cooperate with his administration so they could have an Oyo State of their dreams.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Deputy Speaker of the state house of assembly, Mr Abiodun Fadeyi, presented the bill passed by the house to the governor.
Fadeyi said the lawmakers were thorough in handling and passing the bill, adding that all the ministries that were concerned appeared before the house. (NAN)