Leon Usigbe
President Muhammadu Buhari has assented to 19 bills in furtherance of Section 58 (4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Sixteen of the bills are Constitutional Alterations of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
One ensures that Railway has been removed from the Exclusive List to the Concurrent List, making it possible for states to invest in the infrastructure.
According to a statement issued on Friday by Senator Babajide Omoworare, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters-Senate, the highlights of the assented Constitutional Alteration Bills, amongst others, are: ensuring financial independence of State Houses of Assembly and State Judiciary; regulating of the first session and inauguration of members-elect of the National and State Houses of Assembly and for related matters; and ensuring that the President and Governors submit the names of persons nominated as Ministers or Commissioners within sixty days of taking the oath of office for confirmation by the Senate or State House of Assembly; and for related matters.
Other highlights are: enabling states to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity in areas covered by the national grid; and for related matters; excluding the period of intervening events in the computation of time for determining pre-election matters petitions etc; regulating the first session and inauguration of members-elect of National and State Assemblies; changing prisons to correctional service and re-designate correctional service in the concurrent list; and moving item “railway” from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list.
The statement said that the President also assented to three other bills to including the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology Act, The Nigerian Institute of International Relations Act, and The Federal Medical Centres (Amendment) Acts.
