We Have Passed Coroner Law, Lagos Assembly Insists

The Lagos State House of Assembly says it passed the controversial Coroner Law of the state just few days to the end of the sixth Assembly.

It was brought to the House as an executive bill during the last session of the Assembly with many residents of the state rejecting the propositions of the bill for religious reasons.

As a result of the controversy that trailed its public hearing, many residents of the state had thought the bill had died a natural death.

Confirming its passage, Deputy Speaker of the House, Taiwo Kolawole, who has been acting as the Speaker for sometime now as a result of Speaker Ikuforiji’s absence, said the House followed due process in passing the bill into law and that it was passed in the last Assembly.

He however warned that the House would no longer accept any bill presented to it six months before the expiration of its term.

Kolawole, while making comments at the first annual Eid-Ul-Adha Get-Together organised by the Lagos State House of Assembly Muslim Community, further said the decision to stop receiving bills at the end of a term became necessary to avoid the kind of controversy generated during the debate on the state Coroner Law.

One of the participants at the programme had noted that members of the public were not given adequate access to the contents and subsequent debate on the Coroner Law by the Assembly.

The Deputy Speaker explained that the Coroner bill was discussed in haste because of the short time at the disposal of the lawmakers at that period.

He, however, said that despite the time constraint, members of the public, especially religious groups were allowed to make their contributions during the public hearing on the coroner bill and that a thorough job was done.

“Because of the controversy generated by the coroner law, the House has made it a point of duty not to accept any bill six months before the expiration of the tenure of an administration,” he said.

Speaking earlier on the roles of Muslim lawmakers in social engineering, Chairman, House Committee on Judiciary and Public Petitions, Sanai Agunbiade, advised lawmakers to strive to make laws that would be beneficial to their respective constituents.

He said as Muslim lawmakers, they must participate actively in monitoring the executive arm of government without giving consideration to whatever interest they may have with those involved.

—EROMOSELE EBHOMELE