Former President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed that among the numerous bills he assented to while in office as president, three of them have remained very dear to his heart.
Delivering his remarks as a Special Guest of Honour at the opening of a three-day Health Summit organised by the Bayelsa State Government in Yenagoa, the state capital, on Monday, the former president said the three special bills included the National Health Bill, the Freedom of Information Bill and the Nigerian Local Content Bill, which established the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
The ECOWAS envoy however said among the three pieces of legislation the Local Content Law had the most impact because it provided for a board to oversee the activities of the NCDMB.
He said,”I thank the Honourable Minister (of Health) and the (state) Commissioner for Health who made reference to the National Health Bill that I signed into law in 2014. As a president I signed so many bills into law, government bills and private bills.
“But there are three bills that till today I am quite pleased that we signed into law. The National Health Bill is one of them. The second one is the Freedom of Information Bill that affects my good media people and the third is the Nigerian Local Content Bill.
“But the Local Content Law provides a board that manages the process; they are working very well and the results are obvious. But these other two are not because there is no ombudsman, kind of, to oversee what is being done.”
Among the dignitaries present at the event were Governor Douye Diri, Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, WHO Country Representative, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo and the President, Commonwealth Medical Association, Dr Osahon Enabulele, who was the keynote speaker.
