Senate considers 65 bills in one year, passes six

No fewer than 65 bills, sponsored by either the executive or lawmakers across the six geo- political zones of the country in the last one year, are at various stages of consideration in the current 8th Senate.

A document obtained by our correspondent from the Senate Committee on Rules and Business, shows that six of the bills had been successfully considered, passed and transmitted to the President for assent.

They are the Electronic Transaction Bill, the 2015 Appropriation (Amendment) Bill, the Supplementary Appropriation Bill, the FCT Statutory Appropriation Act, the High Court of FCT Bill, and the 2016 Appropriation Bill.

Also in the last one year, two of the bills were withdrawn due to the controversies they generated.

These are the Constituency Development Catalyst Fund Bill and the Frivolous Petitions (Prohibition) Bill.

In the period under review, the only bill rejected was that of Senator Biodun Olujinmi on gender equality and opportunity.

The Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, in an interview with our correspondent on Saturday, said out of the five bills presented to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari, in the last one year, only two were before the National Assembly that had not been passed.

He said the FCT Budget was received last Thursday, adding that the bill on the NDDC budget was received last week Tuesday.

He stated that both had been referred to the appropriate committees for further legislative action.

Ndume said, “We are hopeful that before we go on the long eight weeks break, the budget (FCT and NDDC) would be passed. The money laundering repeal and re-enactment Act has gone through the first reading.

“The mutual assistance bill has gone through the second reading. The committee is working on it and we are expecting the report before the end of the first legislative year.

“The challenge we have is that of the money laundering bill and it is not from the National Assembly. It is between the agencies that are responsible for the implementation of the money laundering Act – the Ministry of Justice, the Police, the EFCC, ICPC and NDLEA among others.

“As the Senate leader, I have called a meeting of all stakeholders to agree on how to address the issues raised on the bill.

“As it is now, it is inter-agency disagreement that is delaying us. We don’t want to organise a public hearing and people in the same government would be contradicting themselves. We had three consecutive meetings and we have asked them to go and harmonise their positions.

“Then will be ready to market it and take it to the public. Some of the agencies are saying we don’t need to repeal it, others are saying the bill should not be repealed; rather, it should be amended. It is not the National Assembly that is delaying it.”