Reps To Fast-Track Siren Bill

The House of Representatives Committee on Inter-Governmental Affairs, on Sunday said that it would collaborate with its Senate counterpart to ensure the passage of the bill to regulate the use of siren in the country.

The bill which seeks to regulate the use of siren among certain categories of public officers, was passed by the House in July, 2009 and sent to the Senate for concurrence.

Those included in the ban are first ladies, governors’ wives, service chiefs among others, while those permitted to use siren are the President, Vice president, Senate President, Speaker of House of Representatives and the Chief Justice of Nigeria.

Others are deputy senate president, deputy speaker, traditional rulers, House of Representatives and speakers of state Houses of Assembly and their deputies but must be restricted to their states.

Rep. Leo Ogor (PDP-Delta), the chairman, House of Representatives committee on Inter-Governmental Affairs told newsmen that the House had concluded its part of the work on the bill by passing it.

He said that the passage of bill was a clear function of both the Senate and the House.

“The House of Representatives concluded work on the bill and passed it over to the Senate who will in turn concur on it and send to the clerk of the National Assembly for onward transmission to the President for Assent.

“All I need to do in this situation is to notify our committee chairman in the Senate to expedite action on the bill.

He said that since the bill had been passed by the House, it would not take much time for it to be passed into law considering the menace of the use of siren in the country.

He said all that the bill sought to streamline was the indiscriminate use of siren in the country which had resulted to road accidents and loss of lives and property.

The bill recommends a fine of N50,000 for anyone who contravenes its provisions in any part of the country and also empowers the FRSC to arrest defaulters.