By John Ikani
The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, has assented to a constitutional amendment bill allowing states in the country to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity in areas covered by the national grid.
The President assented to 19 bills on Friday, 16 of which altered some provisions of the 1999 Constitution – Fifth Alteration Bills 2023.
Among the bills assented to is the Constitution Fifth Alteration Bill No. 45, which mandates the president-elect to transmit names of his minister-nominees to the National Assembly within two months of his inauguration.
The law, which takes immediate effect, is also applicable to all the governors-elect as they are expected to seek the approval of the state assembly for their commissioner-nominees within 60 days from the date of their swearing-in.
The financial independence for State Houses of Assembly and States’ Judiciary – Fifth Alteration Bill 2023 No 9 – was also signed into law by the President, and it takes immediate effect.
The provisions were part of the 16 bills in the Constitutional Alterations of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), transmitted to the President by the National Assembly early this year.
With the Fifth Alteration Bill No. 33, Devolution of Powers (National Grid System), Nigeria’s 36 states can now join the electricity generation business.
Another Constitutional alteration approves the renaming of the Nigeria Prison Service to the Nigeria Correctional Service -Fifth Alteration Bill No. 31, Devolution of Powers for Correctional Services.
Another bill granted rights to the state governments to establish their own railway service – Fifth Alteration Bill No. 32, evolution of Powers, Railways. With this, the railway moves from the Exclusive Legislative List to the concurrent list.
According to the Senior Special Assistant to The President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Babajide Omoworare, the assented Constitutional Alteration Bills ensured the financial independence of State Houses of Assembly and State Judiciary.
They also regulated the first session and inauguration of members-elect of the National and State Houses of Assembly, ensuring that the President and governors submit the names of persons nominated as ministers or commissioners within 60 days of taking the oath of office for confirmation by the Senate or State House of Assembly.
The bills also enable states to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity in areas covered by the national grid.
They exclude the period of intervening events in the computation of time for determining pre-election matters petitions and regulate the first session and inauguration of members-elect of National and State Assemblies.
The bills also change prisons to correctional service and re-designate correctional service in the concurrent list and move item “railway” from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list.
President Buhari also assented to three other bills, which include the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology Act, the Nigerian Institute of International Relations Act, and the Federal Medical Centres (Amendment) Acts.
The National Assembly transmitted 35 Constitution amendment bills to the President for assent in January, following the Senate resolution directing the former Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr. Olatunde Ojo, to forward all the proposed legislation that had met the requirement for assent as provided for in Section 9 (2) of the 1999 Constitution.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Idris Wase, has commended President Buhari for assenting to some legislations that altered some provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
Wase, who doubles as the Chairman, Special Ad-hoc Committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution, noted that the Constitution (Fifth Alteration) bill, 2023 is fragmented into 16 bills.
According to him, four of the bills centred on the devolution of powers/promotion of true Federalism and also strengthening of State Houses of Assembly and Judiciary.
Speaking further, he lauded lawmakers involved in the passage of the amendments which he described as “legacy legislations.”
