TheNewsGuru

Tag: bill

  • Buhari signs bill seeking foreign assistance to recover proceeds of crime into law

    Buhari signs bill seeking foreign assistance to recover proceeds of crime into law

    President Muhammadu Buhari has signed a bill titled ‘Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act, 2019’ into law.

    The Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, briefed State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He said that the law which takes effect from June 20, 2019, specifically seeks to facilitate the identification, tracing, freezing, restraining, recovery, forfeiture and confiscation of proceeds, property and other instruments of crime by Nigerians in other countries.

    The aim, according to him, is to obtain from other countries, on reciprocal basis, mutual assistance in the prosecution of criminal matters, including the location and identification of suspects, witnesses and other materials for prosecution of criminal matters.

    He said that the new law explained other provisions of the legislation, including the interception of telecommunications and conversion of electronic surveillance, restraint of dealings in property, or the freezing of assets, that may be recovered, forfeited or confiscated in respect of offences.

    He further explained that the Attorney-General of the Federation is designated as the Central Authority for making, receiving and transmitting requests for assistance to and from other countries as well as performing other functions reserved in the Act.

  • BREAKING: Buhari signs June 12 Bill into law

    President Muhammadu Buhari has signed June 12 bill into law.

    Presidential aide on National Assembly matters, Senator Ita Enang told state house correspondents that with the assent to the amendment, May 29 is no more a public holiday.

    President Muhammadu Buhari assented to the Public Holiday Amendment Act, declaring June 12 of every year a public holiday and Democracy Day.

     

    Details soon…

  • Edo Assembly passes Health Insurance Commission Bill

    The Edo House of Assembly on Monday passed a Bill for a Law to establish the Edo State Health Insurance Commission.

    The law would enable the state government provide improved and affordable healthcare services to residents.

    The motion for the house to consider the bill clause by clause was moved by the Deputy Speaker, Justin Okonoboh, and seconded by Roland Asoro, the Majority Leader.

    The passage of the bill was sequel to the suspension of House Rules, following a motion moved by the majority leader and seconded by the deputy speaker.

    The 8 parts bill, was adopted with minor amendments to parts 1and 2 to include that a representative of the house of assembly not below the rank of a director should be a member of the board.

    The bill also stipulated that a former member of the house who must be a medical doctor should also be among members of the board.

    The board would comprise of a chairman, director general and other members, not below the status of a director from state Ministries of Health, Economic Planning, Education, Justice, Office of the Secretary to State Government and the Office of the Head of Service.

    The representatives of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and Civil Society Organisation would also be members of the board.

    The bill, according to the house when completely domesticated in Edo, will enable government have access to funds from NHIS which will be complemented by the state government for the effective operations of the commission.

    The bill also sought to protect families from the hardship of huge medical bills and regulate, supervise, implement and ensure effective administration of the state contributory health insurance scheme.

    The house also passed a Bill for a Law to Eliminate Violence in Private and Public Life.

    It prohibits all forms of violence against persons and provides maximum protection and effective remedies for victims and punishment of offenders.

    Speaker Kabiru Adjoto, directed that clean copies of the bills be sent to the governor for his assent.

     

  • Senate passes South East Development Commission Bill

    The Senate at plenary on Wednesday, passed the South East Development Commission (Establishment) Bill 2018.

    The proposed commission aims at enhancing the infrastructural development of the South East zone, which is grappling with huge ecological challenges.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that it also seeks to act as a catalyst for the development of the commercial potentials of the zone.

    The proposed legislation requires the concurrence of the House of Representatives to become a bill of the National Assembly, and the president’s assent to become a Law.

    Sponsored by two southeast senators, Stella Oduah (PDP-Anambra) and Samuel Anyanwu (PDP-Imo), the bill was first read in the Senate on June 22, 2016.

    Its passage in the Red Chamber followed the presentation of the report of the Committee on Establishment and Public Service by its former Chairman, Sen. Emmanuel Paulker (PDP-Bayelsa).

    After Paulker’s presentation, the bill was considered clause by clause by the committee of the whole, and amendments made by the lawmakers before it was read for the third time and eventually passed.

    Speaking, the Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, who presided at the sitting, commended his colleagues for a job well done.

    “Every morning we pray that God should give us the grace to do only those things that will promote the peace and unity of this country.

    “I believe that we have shown today that we are committed to the unity of this country, and it is this unity that will give us faith in this country.

    “This faith will in turn help us to pursue peace and progress,” he said.

    Addressing newsmen after plenary, members of the South East caucus of the Senate, led by Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP-Abia), thanked their colleagues and members of the committee for their efforts.

    Abaribe, who spoke on behalf of the caucus, urged the President to sign the bill into law “as soon as we tidy it up and bring to him, in the interest of the unity and progress of Nigeria”.

    “This will put to rest the long-drawn agitation in the South East, and the difficulties in the rehabilitation and reconciliation efforts that started at the end of the civil war.

    “All things we see always will end up at the negotiating table, which is what we have done,” he said.
    The lawmaker said he hoped the House of Representatives would give concurrence to the bill as it went in the Senate.

    When established, the South East Development Commission would be the third zonal interventionist body in the country.

    Currently, there is the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the North East Development Commission established recently.

  • Delta Assembly passes bill to strengthen finance management

    The Delta House of Assembly on Tuesday passed the State Public Finance Management Bill.

    The passage of the bill followed the consideration of the report presented by the House Joint Committee on Public Account, Rules and Business during plenary in Asaba.

    Presenting the report, the Chairman of the Committee, Mr Anthony Elekeokwuri said the bill when passed would help to strengthen the management of public finance in the state.

    The Majority Leader, Mr Tim Owhefere moved a motion for the third reading of the bill and it was seconded by Mr Daniel Mayuku representing Warri South West constituency.

    Consequently, the bill after passing through its third reading was passed after a voice vote by the Speaker, Chief Sheriff Oborevwori.

    Oborevwori thanked the lawmakers for their commitment to the speedy passage of the bill.

    He said the bill would help to strengthen the financial management of the state as well as promote accountability in the public sector.

    The speaker directed the Clerk of the Assembly, Mrs Lyna Ochulor to send a clean copy to Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa for his assent.

     

  • Reps pass bill to remove age barriers in employment

    Reps pass bill to remove age barriers in employment

    A Bill seeking to remove discrimination in employment on the basis of age of applicant yesterday passed second reading in the House of Representatives.

    Consequent upon this the Federal Government is urged to remove the all barriers placed on employment of citizens of Nigeria in Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the government MDAs

    This Bill sponsored by Hon. Sergius Ogun (Edo, PDP) has passed second reading in the House.

    Ogun in his lead debate on Bill had noted that government departments particularly ministries, departments and agencies MDAs usually deprive of the right of employment based on age of the applicant.

    According to him, the main objective of the proposed law is to eradicate the age barriers on employment into Federal Government agencies.

    This new legislation he added is to ensure that no citizen of Nigeria is deprived of employment into government agencies on the basis of age.

    The lawmaker pointed out that the enactment of the law would prohibit all Federal Government agencies from disqualifying qualified and competent youths seeking employment who may be above the specified age but not above fourty-five years from employment.

    He explained age discrimination as a situation where a person who is ordinarily qualified for employment is disqualified by reason of being of age specified in the recruitment conditions.

    He also defined job seekers refers are persons seeking to be gainfully employed in any establishment of the federal government of Nigeria.

    The Speaker Hon.Yakubu Dogara subsequently passed the Bill through second reading and committed it to the House Committee on Labour,Employment and Productivity for further inputs.

  • Gov. Okowa assents bill prohibiting deve fee in Delta

    Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on Friday assented to a bill to outlaw illegal and forceful entry into development sites to collect development fees popularly known as deve in the state.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Sheriff Oborevwori, accompanied by Clerk of the Assembly, Mrs Lyna Ocholor and other principal officers presented the bill known as Delta State Public and Private Properties Protection Bill 2018 to the Governor for assent at Government House, Asaba.

    The governor also, assented to a bill to amend the Delta State Oil Producing Area Developmental Commission (DESOPADEC) law passed by the House on Thursday.

    The Governor at the occasion, promised to assent to other bills that have been passed by the Delta State House of Assembly.

    Governor Okowa who disclosed that harassment of property developers in the name of deve had chased away a lot of developers, expressing confidence that with the signing into law of the bill prohibiting illegal and forceful entry into development sites, the state will witness speedy development.

    “We will collaborate with the Delta State House of Assembly to ensure that laws are passed to impact positively on the lives of our people, I am glad that this bill to prohibit the forcefully entry into public and private properties has been passed into law as it will stop youths from trespassing into property development sites in the state and make investment to thrive. This prohibition will impact on the lives of our people and bring investment sanity into the state”, Governor Okowa said.

    On the DESOPADEC amendment bill, the governor explained that the amendment was meant to ensure that no vacuum was created in the leadership of the Commission as government can now extend the tenure of the Board under given circumstances.

    He commended the Speaker and members of the House of Assembly for their cordial relationship with the Executive arm in bringing development to the people and impacting on the lives of Deltans.

    Earlier, Oborevwori had while presenting the bills for assent, told the Governor that the bills passed through all the processes required for them to be passed, stating that the bills were meant to impact on Deltans, create peace, boost the economy and bring development to the state.

     

  • Dogara urges Buhari to assent bill mandating budget submission in September

    Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the constitutional amendment Bill which provides for early submission of budget proposals to the National Assembly by the President.

    Delivering a remark at the resumption of plenary on Tuesday, the Speaker said so long as the Bill is not signed into law, any talk of an orderly appropriations process would be mere cheap talk.

    The Bill stipulates that the President shall prepare and lay before each House of the National Assembly estimates of revenue and expenditure 90 days before the end of the fiscal year, and was transmitted to the President along with other constitutional amendment Bills some of which have been assented to by the President.

    “It is as a result of this that the National Assembly proposed an amendment to the section to require the President to submit the Appropriation Bill not later than 90 days to the end of the financial year. The President has not yet signed this Bill which is so critical to an orderly Appropriations process. Let me use this opportunity to remind Mr President of the fact that if this Bill does not become law, any talk of an orderly appropriations process would be mere cheap talk.

    According to the Speaker, “It is important to reiterate once again, that the National Assembly has the Constitutional powers, duty and responsibility to intervene in the budgeting process to ensure equity, federal character and even distribution of projects and amenities to all nooks and crannies of this great country as direct Representatives of the people.

    “It is also important to emphasise that the 2018 budget benefitted from active cooperation and consultation between the Executive and Legislature during the Appropriation process. No doubt, Nigeria’s budgeting processes is in need of further reforms and that is why the National Assembly took the bold initiative to introduce the Budget Process Bill that is expected to lay out, timelines that will guide the appropriations process from conception to passage.

    “But for this Bill to be passed, section (81) subsection (1) which gives the President power to prepare and lay before each House of the National Assembly AT ANY TIME estimates of revenue and expenditure in the financial year must be amended.”

    He also charged House Committees to process all pending legislative measures before them and ensure expeditious consideration as they enter the twilight of their legislative mandate and said “we already have a record number of Bills, Resolutions and Public Petitions passed more than any other Assembly before us and we can do even more in the remaining period of our tenure.”

     

  • Video: Pres. Buhari signing Not Too Young To Run bill into law

    https://youtu.be/1WXM9KMg71U

  • Don’t contest against me in 2019, Buhari tells youths after signing NTYTR Bill

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday advised Nigerian youths to postpone their presidential ambitions till after 2019.

    Buhari, who has declared his interest in seeking re-election during the 2019 elections, gave the advice shortly after signing Not-Too-Young-to-Run Bill into law at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He described the bill as a landmark law, noting that the bill showed that the youth can achieve anything they conceive if they work hard at it.

    The new law lowers the constitutional age limits for aspirants to presidential and legislative positions in the country, as clamoured for by majority of young Nigerians.

    It reduces the age qualification for the office of the President from 40 years to 30 years; House of Representatives from 30 to 25; and State House of Assembly from 30 to 25.

    The signing took place at the Council Chamber of the Aso Rock Villa, in the presence of the NTYTR group of under-35 young Nigerians drawn from across the country, led by Mr. Samson Itodo.

    In his remarks after signing the law, Buhari canvassed for additional amendment to reduce the age limits for aspiring governors and senators, which was proposed but not reflected in the final bill he had just signed into law.

    He said the signing of the bill was not the end of the journey but the beginning of more work to be done to get younger persons into government.

     

    Details later…