Commentary@ITRealms:
The Nigerian Senate does get
quite a telling from the citizenry, and sometimes they very well deserve it.
However there are also many times when they do make the people proud. So, as we
take stock of the year, here are some of those memorable bills through which
our senators have demonstrated that their service and fealty do indeed rest on
the interests and wishes of the people.
1: Passage of the
#NotTooYoungToRun Bill
Here we saw a Nigerian Senate
that not only listens but also has it finger on the pulse of the people. By
passing the NotTooYoungToRun Bill,
which reduces the required ages for seeking political offices, the Senate has
ignited greater participation of the youth, not just in politics but also in
political leadership. For a country with over 70 percent of its population
under 35, this is a wonderful development, little wonder the passage of the
bill has received widespread commendation across the country and beyond.
The Senate also went beyond
just addressing youth participation in politics to deal with pressing
constitutional issues that range from…. All together the Senate passed 33 Bills
as part of its Constitutional Review Exercise, 29 of which have now been forwarded
to the State House of Assemblies for review. Here is a detailed analysis of the
bills:
2: Passage of #OpenNASS
If the Senate’s passages of the NotTooYoungToRun Bill demonstrated
ability to listen to the people, its decision to open the Budget of the
National Assembly to the general public displayed a exemplary commitment to
transparency and accountability. This was the first time, since Nigeria’s
return to democracy 17 years ago, that anyone could google up and see, in fine
print every dime that the Senate did intend to spend and how it planned to
spend it. Such move has raised the level of confidence and trust that ordinary
Nigerians have in the Nigerian Senate and the important work that they do
there.
3: Passage of the North East Development Bill
No single issue has, over the past decade, caused so much economic
and social destruction to our country as the extremist insurgency in the North
East of the country. So, it’s been a thing of great pride to see how everyone
has contributed their best to this painful road of recovery.
Here again the
Senate has led with commitment and focus, passing the North East Development
Commission Bill (signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari), which among
other things establishes a commission tasked with the responsibility of
rebuilding and rehabilitating the North East whilst ensuring the resettlement
of the internally displaced persons into their homes. Surely rebuilding the
North east is the most definitive way to defeat the insurgents, and it’s great
to see the Senate playing its part in the fight.
4 & 5: Passage of the Ease of Doing Business Bills
While the insurgency in the North East has been one of our biggest
challenges, it is not the only one. Sadly we rank very lowly on the global
scene when it comes to the ease of doing business, so it was a very welcome
development when the Senate tackled the issue head on. Over the course of the
year, the Senate Passed two Access to Credit Bills (now signed into law, both
of which has significantly boosted Nigeria’s ease of doing business rankings.
The first bill, the Credit Bureau Services Bill Passed in May 2017,
helps reduce the risk of lending or engaging in business with individuals or
companies with a financial history of not paying back while the second, The
Secured Transactions in Moveable Assets, enables ordinary Nigerians use
invoices and receipts to access loans and working capital. Together, both laws
smoothen the rough edges of doing business in Nigeria by securing lenders from
working with people who have questionable financial history and also enabling
more Nigerians to borrow towards growing their businesses. This, no doubt,
would translate in unlocking more growth potential for our economy.
6: Passage of the Whistleblower Protection Bill
Perhaps, just as important as empowering businesses is to growing
our economy, so too curbing corrupt and improper conduct in the public and
private sector. In this regard, it has been great to see the Senate take the
lead in this campaign by passing the Whistle-blower Protection Bill.
So many memes have been out of this Bill on social media, and it
goes to show just how popularity of the action taken by the Senate. The Bill is
also very thoughtful in what it seeks to achieve in that it guarantees protection
from all forms of victimization for Nigerians who speak up when they see
something wrong.
7: Passage of The INEC Reform Bill
Understanding that the viability of our whole democracy lies in the
integrity of our electoral system, the Senate did well to shore up our voting
process through its INEC Reform Bill. Thanks to the bill, there shall now be
full biometric accreditation of voters with Smart Card Readers, INEC Officers
must now instantly transmit accreditation data and results from Polling Units
to various collation centers and INEC is now mandated to keep Electronic
registers of voters. INEC is now mandated to publish voters’ registers on its
official website(s) for public scrutiny at least 30 days before a general
election.
The bill also ensures that people are held responsible for their
actions by prescribing jail time for defaulting INEC officers. But the best
part of the bill is that it kick-starts, in earnest, the technological
evolution of our voting system. INEC now has unfettered powers to conduct
elections by electronic voting, is mandated to keep a National Electronic
Register of Election Results as a distinct database or repository of polling
unit by polling unit results for all elections conducted by INEC. Collation of
election result is also now mainly electronic, as transmitted unit results will
help to determine final results on real time basis. Such technology drive by
the Senate would make our elections more free, fair and transparent.
8: Passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill
From sanitizing our electoral system to cleaning up the petroleum
industry, the Senate made another landmark achievement with its passage of the
Petroleum Industry Bill. This Bill aims to introduce new operational and fiscal
terms for the management of the revenue that is accrued from the sector. In
essence, its high time we got more out of our petro-dollar, especially now that
oil prices have rallied.
The way the Senate also went about it is smart. It’s Bill not only
allows the Nigerian government to retain a higher proportion of the revenue
that it derives from oil industry operations, it also seeks to create a
conducive business environment for petroleum operations and other SMEs. The
Bill also enhances the exploration of petroleum resources for the benefit of
all Nigerians whilst providing for the inclusion of more local content in the
petroleum industry.
9: Passage of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU)
Bill:
If there’s anything we’ve learnt from the anti-corruption cases of
the past few years, it’s the importance of financial intelligence. That’s why
the Bill, by the Senate, to create a robust, independent Financial Intelligence
Unit is very much welcome.
The NFIU Bill also empowers the NFIU to, in line with international
best practices, seek and exchange information with partner countries in order
to improve international coordination on issues around financial crimes at home
and abroad. The passage of the Bill into law would also re-admit and improve
Nigeria’s standing within the Group while increasing their levels of
cooperation and coordination to ensure that Nigeria achieves membership of
FATF.
10: Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill:
Still riding on the need for greater international cooperation to
combat crime, the Senate also passed the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill,
which would enhance collaboration between the Nigerian government and its
foreign counterparts. This would significantly ease the challenges our law
enforcements currently have identifying, recovering and confiscating proceeds
of crime located abroad. Simply put, with this bills, no one can steal public
money and transfer it in foreign banks for safekeeping, such stolen funds, or
the properties with which they are acquired, would be easily retrieved or
seized.
It’s important to note that as encouraging as these legislative
actions are, a bill by itself just unlocks the door to opportunity. Someone
still has to reach for the door handle, turn the knob, and walk through the
door. It’s up to members of the polity to take advantage of this chance with both
hands and drive towards the collective goals we seek for Nigeria in the vehicle
provided by the Senate
*Courtesy: Carl
Ndukwe, an Abuja-based communications professional.
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