Bashir Opaluwa Idris
The Kogi State House of Assembly has passed two key bills to overhaul the state’s fire and rescue services and curb indiscriminate littering and defacement of public infrastructure.
The bills are the Kogi State Fire and Rescue Agency Bill, 2026, which repeals the 2007 law and re-enacts a new framework for the agency, and the Kogi State Public Littering and Defacement Control Bill, 2026.
The assembly passed the bills at plenary on Wednesday after clause-by-clause consideration.
Several clauses were amended based on recommendations of the relevant committees.
The House adopted the committee reports and subsequently passed the bills at third reading.
Speaker, Aliyu Umar Yusuf, commended members and the committees for their diligence.
Yusuf said the new Fire and Rescue Agency law would reposition the agency for effective emergency response across the state.
He described the existing fire service structure as largely moribund, noting that the agency should be pivotal to protecting lives and property.
On the anti-littering bill, the Speaker said the law would restore order and improve the aesthetics of public spaces.
He warned that indiscriminate littering goes beyond defacing the environment, as it breeds unhygienic conditions and disease outbreaks.
According to him, enforcement will make residents understand that littering and defacement of public and private property have consequences.
Yusuf expressed optimism that the laws, once assented to by the Executive would change public behaviour, enhance sanitation and strengthen emergency response in the state.
He thanked members and committees for concluding work on the legislations.
The House, however, directed that the schedules to the Fire and Rescue Agency Bill be finalised before transmission to the executive for assent.
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