TheCable

Senate President Ahmad Lawan says the national assembly will pass the 1999 constitution amendment bill this month.

Lawan spoke at a press conference organised to mark the second anniversary of the 9th senate in Abuja on Thursday.

The 1999 constitution amendment bill sponsored by Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house of representatives, seeks to accommodate state and community policing.

The bill seeks to delete item 45 of the constitution — which domiciles policing exclusively with the federal government — from the exclusive list and moves it to the concurrent list.

Lawan said the constitution amendment bill and the petroleum industry bill (PIB) will be passed this month, according to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“It is a mark of excellent effort that the 9th Senate is ready to pass the PIB after 20 years of failed attempts,” he said.

“This should happen this June and it should increase accountability, probity, efficiency, equity and justice in that vital sector of our economy.

“Our efforts on the electoral bill are also noteworthy. The bill should not just improve the nation’s electoral governance system it will also strengthen the democracy that we have all built since 1999.

“The 2023 general elections will be the seventh in our electoral cycle since the dawn of democracy.”

Lawan said the senate will also work to ensure financial autonomy for local governments, state legislatures and the judiciary in line with its stand on strengthening democracy by implementing separation of powers.

He added that the senate has also worked with the executive arm in the fight against corruption.

“Waste and diversion of public funds are ills we cannot tolerate in the face of dwindling resources, increasing national debt, against the background of the need to stimulate the economy through the appropriation of funds for infrastructure and utilities,” he said.

The senate president said that the current senate had earlier passed notable bills.

He identified some of the passed bills as the deep offshore and inland basin production sharing contracts act 2004 (amendment bill, 2009); the finance bill, 2019, which amended seven existing tax laws; and the companies and allied matters act, 2019.

Lawan noted that 742 bills were introduced in the 9th senate, out of which 58 had been passed, while 355 bills had sailed through first reading.

“One hundred and seventy-five bills have also gone through second reading and are before relevant committees for further legislative actions,” he said.