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Senate Okays Redrafted PIGB, Tobacco Regulation Bill …Approves College Of Education For Bayelsa
The Senate, yesterday, passed the re-drafted version of the much-anticipated Petroleum Industry Governance (PIG) Bill 2019.
The passage followed the recommendations of the technical committee set up to redraft the bill after President Muhammadu Buhari’s declined to sign the initial Bill into law.
In a communication to the Senate to that effect, Buhari had raised concerns over the implementation of the bill, if signed into law, and urged the National Assembly to consider the issues raised.
At plenary, Senate Majority Leader, Ahmed Lawan, who reintroduced the re-drafted bill, noted that the technical committee of the Senate had reworked the affected clauses according to President Buhari’s observations.
The redrafted Bill was then considered by the Committee of the Whole and passed.
President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, directed the National Assembly secretariat to take note of observations and corrections made by lawmakers in the Bill.
At the plenary, the long-awaited draft of the National Tobacco Control Regulations was also passed.
The tobacco control bill, by its provisions, is to empower the Federal Ministry of Health to implement most provisions of the Tobacco Control Act which requires regulation.
Similarly, the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s (FCTA) bid to reintroduce the banned park-and-pay system by motorists in Abuja has finally received the backing of National Assembly.
The FCTA got the empowerment, yesterday, sequel to the passage of a bill for concurrence on the “FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Administration Service Bill, 2019” by the Senate and House of Representatives.
The Bill provides the legal force for the FCTA in collaboration with the territory’s Internal Revenue Service to embark on the overall enforcement of parking rules in the nation’s capital.
The Bill, when signed into law, before the expiration of the 8th Senate, will among others, review the parking fees and enforce the parking laws in the FCT.
The park-and-pay system became a controversial issue about five years ago before a court judgment stopped the FCTA from further collection of fees from residents for on and off the street parking within the territory.
The agency, according to the provisions of the bill, is to produce and administer vehicle and drivers’ licences in collaboration with relevant federal agencies.
The specific functions of the FCT Traffic Management Service as contained in the bill are, regulating road traffic management and motor vehicle administration within the FCT.
The agency would also regulate, register, revoke, license and renew motor vehicle documents and issuance of vehicle identification number plates in the FCT.
Similarly, it would conduct road worthiness test and issue road worthiness certificates to all categories of vehicles for the purposes of ridding the FCT of non-road worthy vehicles.
The agency would also be responsible for the training and testing of drivers to ensure competence for issuance of driver’s licence in the FCT.
It was also planned to regulate and enforce the use of bus stops and bus terminals, and the activities of the commercial motor vehicles as well as register and enforce and accredit driving schools and enforce the ban on the use of motorcycles as a means of public transport in the FCT.
The officers of the new agency, as contained in the bill, have been mandated to arrest and book any person who commits traffic offences like wrong overtaking, traffic light violation, and driving with expired documents or without driving licence.
They are also to arrest anyone that drives right-hand vehicles, drivers who exceed driving limit, drives against the traffic or obstructs traffic through illegal parking, among others.
Meanwhile, the Senate, yesterday, approved the establishment of Federal College of Education (Technical) in Aghoro, Bayelsa State.
The passage of the establishment bill followed the consideration of report of its Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND, chaired by Senator Jibrin Barau at plenary.
Presenting the report, Jibrin recalled that the bill on establishment of the institution, sponsored by Senator Foster Ogola, PDP-Bayelsa West, was referred to his committee on May 30, 2018 for further legislative inputs.
According to the report, participants at a public hearing organised by the committee on March 14, this year, agreed that the college, when established, “will facilitate educational and technical development of the state, particularly in the development of middle level manpower for primary and secondary schools”.
The committee chairman also noted that “Bayelsa State does not have a Federal College of Education”, adding that its establishment would “address this challenge”.
“The establishment of the institution will assist in addressing the shortage of teachers in the country, reduce unemployment, improve the livelihood of the people and also play a vital role in human and economic development of the state.
“Also, Aghoro community is prepared to make available sufficient expanses of land to accommodate the proposed Federal College of Education, Aghoro”, Jibrin stated.
The committee, therefore, recommended the establishment of the institution by the Senate, saying this “will help in producing the desired manpower and expertise needed for the teaching profession”.
In his contribution, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, APC-Niger North, commended the committee for a job well done, and supported approval of the institution by the Senate in view of the importance of technical education in the country.
Unanimously, the lawmakers, in a voice vote, approved the establishment of the college.
Other institutions endorsed for establishment by the upper legislative chamber are the Federal University of Aquatic Studies, Ogbaru, Anambra State, Federal University, Uga, and School of Mines and Geological Studies, Guyuk, Adamawa State.
Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi, Abuja
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.