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Tag: bills

  • Ambode signs seven ‘critical’ bills into Law

    Ambode signs seven ‘critical’ bills into Law

    THE Bill to guarantee 24-hour power supply in line with the vision to attain a non-stop economy and make the Lagos globally competitive was one of the seven bills signed into Law yesterday by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

    It is the Lagos State Electric Power Reform Law.

    Also signed were: Amended Land Use Charge Law, School of Nursing Law, Cooperative College Law, Cancer Research Institute Law, Amended Customary Court Law and the Yoruba Language Preservation and Promotion Law.

    Speaking on the import of the new laws, the Attorney-General & Commissioner for Justice, Adeniji Kazeem, said the laws would further take the dividends of democracy to the people.

    He said: “This is a great day; the governor has just signed these bills into law and this shows that the House of Assembly is working in tandem with the executive. It also shows that Lagos is working. These laws are going to benefit the people of Lagos State and this is what the people are looking for in terms of the dividends of democracy.”

    Giving details on the benefits of the Power Sector Reform Law, the Commissioner for Energy & Mineral Resources, Olawale Oluwo, said the law would allow the government to intervene in major areas of the power value chain to the overall benefit of Lagosians.

    Oluwo said: “One, the law puts the government in a position to be able to extend our guarantee to private sector participants who will come and generate power for us and by this guarantee, we are putting the balance sheet of our State on the table and assuring investors that as they generate power, they will get paid.

    “Second, it is to help the distribution companies to upgrade their infrastructure because if they generate the power and their infrastructure is still where it is today, clearly, they will not have the capacity to carry the incremental power.

    “The third area of intervention is that it empowers us to be able to open up the gas market in Lagos so that we can have gas on a consistent basis and that is how we can attain the 24-hour power supply.”

    The commissioner further said that the law would also enable the government to collaborate with the distribution companies to collect tariff from customers efficiently in a way that the said guarantee would not crystallize, while in the area of enforcement, the law will prevent power theft.

    He said: “What has happened today is that the first power theft law in Nigeria has been signed today by Governor Ambode and this is the first time any government in Nigeria will institutionalise the power theft law.

    “It criminalises power infraction. What we have seen before is that people tamper with and bypass meters and at the end of the day they are arrested and nothing happens but the new law provides for jail terms as well as fines and all sorts of forbearance such that if you tamper with electrical installations, if you import fake electrical materials into this State, you are liable to be prosecuted.”

    Also speaking on the other laws, Commissioner for Information & Strategy Kehinde Bamigbetan said the signing of the laws confirmed the governor’s commitment to institutionalise and enshrine good governance.

    Bangbetan said: “Among the bills is the Amended Customary Law which is very important because for a long time, the Customary Court system in the local government has been shut down because of the bill and with this revision.

    “The Customary Court in local government will spring back to life and that means that many of the activities in the council areas which require arbitration and dispute resolution which had been in abeyance so far will now come back in full stream.

    “Another one is the Yoruba Language Preservation & Promotion Law and for the first time it will become normal for you to be admitted into any of our tertiary institutions with a credit in Yoruba language and Yoruba will now become a major requirement for you to engage in normal business communication in Lagos State.

    “This is a clear and conscious commitment to the position which Lagos State prides Yoruba language as the cultural vehicle for us to be able to articulate our position and it also shows that Lagos has furthered recognised the importance of language as a vehicle for development.”

  • Buhari signs eight bills into law 

    Buhari signs eight bills into law 

    President Muhammadu Buhari has signed eight bills into law, including the National Senior Citizens Centre Act, 2018.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang, briefed State House correspondents yesterday.

    According to him, the National Senior Citizens Centre Act, 2018, establishes the National Senior Citizens Centre in the country to cater for the needs of the senior citizens.

    Other bills signed into law are Legislative Houses (Power and Privileges), 2018; National Institute of Legislative Studies (Amendment) Act, 2018; and Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Spain (Domestication and Enforcement ) Act, 2018.

    Others are Rail Loan (International Bank) (Repeal) Act, 2018; Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2018; Chartered Institute of Local Government and Public Administration Act, 2018; and Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (Establishment), Act, 2018.

  • Buhari signs three bills into law 

    Buhari signs three bills into law 

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, December 5, 2017 assented to three bills.

    According to a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, the bills are Federal College of Dental Technology and Therapy (Establishment) Bill, 2017, Air Force Institute of Technology of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2017 and National Intelligence Agency Pensions (Establishment) Bill, 2017,

    On the Federal College of Dental Technology and Therapy (Establishment) Bill, 2017, the statement said “The College to be sited in Enugu is to provide courses of instruction leading to the award of degrees, diplomas and certificates in dental technology, dental therapy and related courses.

    For the Air Force Institute of Technology of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2017, it said “The Institute to be situated in Kaduna, is to give technical training  to the personnel of the Nigerian Air Force and other services of the Nigerian Armed Forces, Nigerians and citizens of other African countries.

    On the National Intelligence Agency Pensions (Establishment) Bill, 2017, the statement said, “is to administer the pensions scheme for personnel of the Agency, sequel to the exit of the Agency from the application of the Contributory Pension’s Scheme under the Pension’s Reform Act, 2004.

    Speaking on the bills, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate) Ita Enang, harped on the current cordial relationship between the Executive arm and the National Assembly.

    According to him, the new relationship will make it possible for the 2018 budget to be passed before the end of 2017.

    “As you can see, President Muhammadu Buhari has developed a strong cordial relationship with the National Assembly and this is responsible for the good working relationship you can now see”

    “We are happy that the National Assembly is doing everything necessary to pass the 2018 budget on time, especially with the passage of the MTEF which is the foundation for the budget,” he said.

  • Residents protest high energy bills

    Residents of Olorunda in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State capital, yesterday protested what they called “crazy, unacceptable and outrageous electricity bills” from Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC).

    The protesters marched round the neighbourhood and converged on the health centre where community leaders addressed them.

    It was the second time in a month residents were protesting on the issue.

    They urged BEDC to supply prepaid meters, warning officials not to collect money from them again.

    President of Olorunda Pastor Gbenga Ilesanmi said residents spent about N21 million to provide a transformer, electric poles, wires and workmanship for “electricity in our community, with BEDC not providing anything”.

    Ilesanmi said: “We are tired and frustrated by the high bills without the supply of electricity. The bills range from N3,000 to N11,000. We say no to direct billing system.

    “We have resolved not to pay any other bill until prepaid meters are supplied to the community.”

    Chairman of the community’s Electricity Task Force, Mr. Pius Ayodele, said residents provided electricity equipment through self-help.

    He decried the huge electricity bills BEDC was giving its customers.

    Ayodele said: “What we are passing through is no longer palatable. We procured everything we needed in the 12 zones in the community.’’

  •  PayU Nigeria Introduces payment solution for recurring bills

    Payment for recurring bills and subscription has been made seamless by PayU Nigeria with the introduction of Pay U Subscription.

    Merchamts can also safely and securely collect payment from consumers.

    Country Manager of PayU Nigeria Ms Juliet Nwanguma, said in a statement: “PayU Subscription is an innovative product for businesses who are looking to offer subscription and recurring bill payments to their customers.”

    It also provides customers with a simple, safe and secure alternative to regular direct debit payments. Using tokenisation as the underlying technology, PayU offers a card based recurring payment method for the payment of any recurring bills or subscriptions. Customers who want to setup recurring or subscription payment is inconvenienced as they are required to physically go to their bank and complete a direct debit order form. With PayU Subscription, all of this is avoided.  Merchants only need their customers to choose the recurring payment option as well as the period i.e. weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually.

    Ms Nwanguma added: “PayU Subscription allows merchants to improve customer satisfaction by offering a more convenient way for their customers to pay for their subscriptions and other recurring bills. Ultimately, PayU Subscription helps merchants boost collections and revenue in a quick, convenient and simple way.

    “PayU Subscription is highly beneficial to merchants and businesses in all sectors who want to boost and simplify their payment collections for subscription-related payments such as utility bills, monthly residential bills and various subscription services such as magazine subscriptions, insurance policies, membership dues, music distribution and digital downloads and more.”

    Through the introduction of innovative products like PayU Subscription, PayU continues to be an innovative leader in the payments industry and helping to define the future of Fintech and digital payments in the Nigerian market. Pay U has presence in 16 markets globally and over 250 payment options.

  • NIGER Assembly passes 52 resolutions, 12 bills in two years

    NIGER Assembly passes 52 resolutions, 12 bills in two years

    Niger state House of Assembly has passed 12 bills and 52 resolutions in the past two years, the Chairman, House of Assembly Committee on Information, Culture and Tourism, Honorable Shuaibu Liman Iya has disclosed.

    He said that 31 bills were received from 2015 to date out of which 19 were Executive Bills and 12 Private Members Bills.

    Iya who disclosed this during a media briefing to commemorate the second year anniversary of the 8th Legislature said that 58 motions were raised on the floor of the House while 52 resolutions were passed.

    He stated that out of the 12 bills passed, two bills have not been assented to.

    The Chairman of the House Committee on Information further said that 19 bills are still pending in the Assembly.

    He then debunked claims that the 8th Assembly is not a rubber-stamp to the executive, “we are not rubber-stamp, however, wherever we are a friction, we try to harmonize ourselves to ensure that there is no friction in the state. We take our time in analyzing budgets and other bills sent by the executive.”

    In his address, the Deputy Speaker, Honorable Hussein Ibrahim expressed dissatisfaction over the welfare of the staff saying, “I am not happy with the welfare of the staff, we are trying to lobby the executive to improve the welfare of the Assembly Staff.”

     

  • Row over proposed bills in Kwara

    Row over proposed bills in Kwara

    The Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the Kwara Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (KWACCIMA) are squaring up with the Kwara State government over some pending bills in the state House of Assembly.

    They contended that those bills, if operational, are dangerous for business in the state. MAN and KWACCIMA are claiming that the bills when passed into law would put more tax burden on them. But the state government via Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS) said that bills are not meant to extract more tax from firms doing business in the state. Specifically, MAN and KWACCIMA kicked against the proposed ‘manufacturing processing levy bill 2017’ pending before the state House of Assembly.

    MAN and KWACCIMA said the bill if passed into law is capable of killing industries and manufacturing in the state.

    Spokesperson of the groups Bioku Rahman urged Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed not to assent to the bill if it is passed to him.

    The groups had, at a public hearing called by the state House of Assembly, joined other stakeholders to vehemently register their disavowal to the proposed bill.

    Mr. Rahman hailed the governor’s recent pronouncement of five years tax moratorium to small businesses, calling of the governor to extend the gesture to industries in the state.

    The spokesperson added that the tax holiday is enough “for the bill to be suspended or cancelled.”

    He said, “We believe that the governor is not aware of this bill that promises to potentially sound the death knell of manufacturing and industries in the state and we call on him to call his exuberant officials of the ministry of industry and solid minerals and KWIRS to order before they kill industries in the state.

    “MAN and KWACCIMA in the state employ 400,000 staff directly, about 98 percent of which are indigenes of the state and indirectly, we empower or employ about 800,000. Majority of which are Kwarans and they pay their taxes (PAYE)  and other levies to the state coffers.

    “It is therefore imperative that the ministry and their collaborators prepare enormous budget for caskets for their self-inflicted undertaking job.

    “Those who drafted the bill appear to have undermined the grievous ripple effects of this totalitarian action in the 21st century.”

    Rahman said that the bill “does not carry any rate unlike the companies income tax which 30 percent of total profit; Value Added Tax (VAT) 5 percent and Capital Gains Tax 10 percent of the gain. A situation where the rate of a tax or levy is at the whims and caprices of a consultant is a call for anarchy.

    “The bill if passed into law will duplicate extant laws that govern taxation and regulations of companies as such will amount to proliferation of law and double taxation of our members. The bill will make products manufactured in the state be non-competitive with others manufactured outside the state and may lead to migration of the few companies remaining to nearby states as no state in Nigeria is collecting this level.”

    Stakeholders at a public hearing organised by the state House of Assembly had also faulted the state government’s planned consumption tax bill, calling for it non-passage into law.

    Some government agencies clamoured, though, for its passage.

    The state Ministry of Justice from where the bills emanated and other ministries and agencies which made inputs to the bills had argued that bills were meant to drive revenue generation of the state.

    Also in his submission, a representative of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at the occasion, Muritala Olayinka emphasised the need for government to generate more fund for the state but cautioned “before any tax bill can be passed to generate fund, there is supposed to be an enabling environment.”

    KWIRS said that the bills are not meant to create new burden but to aide revenue generation of the state.

    KWIRS added that the proposals are not illegal and urged the House to pass them into laws.

  • NASS should pass anti-graft bills

    SIR: Several monies worth over two $225m have been recovered by the federal government through the whistle blowers’ policy. And this is within the space of four months. Some of these monies were banked using fake identities, while some were kept in homes, business shops and offices. The amounts include the sum of N8 billion, $151 million, N15 billion (in different currencies of $38 million, £27,000 and N23 million); $9 million, N448,850 million, N250 million, N49million, and all amounted to over 70billion in local currency.

    These discoveries of stolen funds by the anti-graft agencies are scandalous and have not only sent shock waves to the spines of Nigerians, but they are a reason of the present economic recession in the country. While all this larceny goes on, public facilities, hospitals, schools and security are poorly funded. There is maternal mortality, poverty, unemployment and insecurity is on the increase. Many Nigerians schooling abroad, business owners who rely on foreign currency for importation of raw materials to do business, have been forced to shut down because of the non-availability of foreign currency.

    The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, upon resumption of office vowed to recover monies looted from the country’s treasury over the years. Within his first one year in office, an unprecedented amount of N3.4trillion was recovered from looters. This amount is equivalent to half of Nigeria’s yearly budget. Over USD200 billion is still stocked in Dubai alone, while about USD300 million is being expected from the government of Switzerland, including the UK & US among others.

    While some Nigerians have continued to heap praises on the country’s anti-graft agencies’ effort in recovering looted monies, there is still cause for concern in the terms entered with foreign countries. For instance, within the period the policy was formed, it still is not backed by the law for adequate regulation.  Lots of issues have been thrown up on the absence of an efficient legal instrument which regulates and enhance the activities of the various anti-graft agencies.

    The speedy passage of the key anti-graft bills such as Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters (MA), Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and Whistle Blowers Policy Bill (WBPB) into law can institutionalise Nigeria’s fight against corruption, rather than making it seem like one -man- show.

    Recommendation 29 of the Financial Action Task Force mandates countries to establish an independent Financial Intelligence Unit, FIU, to serve as a national centre for receiving, analysing and propagation of suspicious transaction and other information regarding potential money laundering or terrorist financing. The FATF has a framework for countries to implement and combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and the financing of proliferation ammunition. By implication, Nigeria risks sanction from the FATF over poor legislation on money laundering. More worrisome is the fact that it is happening at a time when Nigeria needs the information most, considering the challenge of terrorism and recurrent looting of the nation’s resources.

    The unwarranted delay it has taken to pass the bills which have either passed through second reading or waiting presidential assent or still pending at the National Assembly, has created difficulty in the repatriation, management, disbursement and utilization of recovered funds. This will pose a major setback to the economic recovery plan of the government, and make it difficult for an average Nigerian to feel the impact of the reinvested loot in the economy.

    The government must stand up to its responsibility to support the anti-corruption fight by ensuring immediate passage of the bills, to create some form of cooperation between anti-corruption agencies, create independence and avoid overlapping of their functions.

     

    • Charles Iyare,

    Benin City.

  • Osinbanjo declines to sign four bills

    Osinbanjo declines to sign four bills

    Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has withheld  his assents to four bills passed by the National Assembly.

    The bills are Agricultural Credit Guarantee Fund, Currency Conversion Freezing orders Amendment Bill , Dangerous Drugs Amendment  Bill and National Lottery Bill .

    Senate President, Bukola Saraki announced the decision of the Acting President in a letter written to the Senate on Wednesday.

    More details

  • Omisore pays patients’ bills at OAUTH, visits orphanage homes

    Omisore pays patients’ bills at OAUTH, visits orphanage homes

    Former Osun State Deputy Governor Senator Iyiola Omisore has visited  some patients of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH), IIe- Ife, and children and care givers at the Covenant Orphanage and Welfare Centre in Moro, Osun State, where he paid their bills and gave them gifts.

    At the OAUTH, he was received by the top management staff of the hospital led by the Chief Medical Director, Prof Victor Adetiloye.

    Others at the event were the Director of Administration, Mrs Bola Alejo; Professor of Plastic Surgery,  Kayode Olabanji; Director of Finance Alhaji M. S. Olaobaju; Head of Nursing, Mr. J. B. Oni; the hospital Public Relations, Miss Oluwakemi Fasoto;  Head of Servicom, Mr Tajudeen Balogun, and Dr. J.Olusanyan

    Adetiloye thanked Senator Omisore for choosing to spend his first day, yearly, with patients of OAUTH and at orphanage homes.

    He listed several intervention projects that Omisore has executed at the hospital. They include provision of water, roads, and new wards.

    “Today as usual, Senator Omisore has brought salvation to many of our patients. As we stand here today, all the structures standing at the Phase Four of our expansion programme were all facilitated by our noble Senator.Through his support and other corporate organisations, we have developed the hospital to an international standard. Our quality of service is equal to none in West Africa. We receive patients from across Nigeria. We have experts in all fields of medical practice; and we perform rare feats because we operate at a global standard. Despite that, our services remain the cheapest; we charge at an affordable level, but even at that, many patients cannot still afford to pay.

    “Though it is a Federal Government institution, government cannot do it alone. It is from the little we charge that we cover our administrative expenses. If not for such support we receive from people like Senator Omisore, we might not have been able to develop our services to this enviable level. Here, we have been able to perform open heart surgery on 14 patients. We are known worldwide for renal transplantation; our doctors are renowned all over the world,’’ Adetiloye said

    Commending Omisore, he said: “For coming every year to bring relief to our poor patients, you have heeded a call from God to help the needy. We want to appeal to other leaders in our society to emulate such a noble gesture of Senator Omisore at giving back and creating values to their communities.’’

    Adetiloye led Senator Omisore and his entourage on tour of every ward in the hospital where the  former deputy governor met, prayed, inspired the patients and handed each a pack of gifts.

    He rounded off the visit at the detaining patients section where poor patients that have been discharged for as long as eight months,  but were being detained beacuse of their inability to pay their huge  bills.

    Senator Omisore sat with the  patients, inquired from them about their problem. He immediately paid their outstanding bills to the admiration of everybody. This gesture brought tears of joy to the detained patients, some of whom came from other regions of the country.

    Omisore and his convoy later drove to the Covenant Orphanage and Welfare Centre in Moro,  another community in the state.

    He was received with appreciative songs by the inmates and care givers at the home. Omisore sang, danced, prayed for them and presented packs of food items, which included bags of 50kgs rice, indomie noodles, gallons of oil, bags of beans, cartons of tooth paste, beverages and various soft drinks.

    He appealed to Nigerians to be their brothers’ keeper. “You don’t have to be rich to help others in need. A little assistance will go a long way in the life of a needy. At the hospital, both the in-patients and the detained patients always wait for me to come and bail them out on January 1st of every year; and I am always happy to bring that relief to them. I pray for God’s grace to continue,” Senator Omisore added.