PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI ASSENTS TO THE 16 CONSTITUTIONAL ALTERATION BILLS AND 3 OTHERS.

By Iyojo Ameh

The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari has assented to 19 Bills in furtherance of Section 58 (4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 16 these bills are Constitutional Alterations of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

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;
• 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;
• enabling states 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 President also assented to 3 other bills to wit: The Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology Act, The Nigerian Institute of International Relations Act, and The Federal Medical Centres (Amendment) Acts.