Focus On The Green Chamber: Controversial Bills: All Eyes On Reps In 2023

How time flies. the 9th House of Representatives will on Tuesday resume plenary for its final lap of legislative sojourn in Nigeria’s political history. For a parliament that has encountered several controversies and is also poised to reconsider some of the bills hitherto rejected by its members, one may be tempted to think that keenly interested lawmakers could ensure that these bills are passed while others are busy with political activities in their various constituencies.

It is public knowledge that political campaigns and electioneering activities will take better attention from many lawmakers. However, for want of space, I shall highlight some of the controversial legislations as Nigerians keep all eyes on the lawmakers.

Water Resources Bill

This bill is perhaps the most controversial piece of legislation in the 9th Assembly. Lawmakers have been divided along ethnic lines over the bill. While some lawmakers are favourably disposed to the idea that the federal government should have control of the waterways, some lawmakers, majority from riverine areas have sworn never to allow the bill to pass.

The bill was introduced to the House in September 2020 in a controversial circumstance and withdrawn following an outcry by some lawmakers. It was reintroduced in June 2022 and the speaker assured that the concerns of states would be addressed.

It is unclear if the lawmakers will be able to pass it before the end of the 9th Assembly.

Diaspora Voting Bill

The bill which sought to allow Nigerians of voting age in the diaspora to participate in elections was rejected by lawmakers during voting on the amendment of the 1999 Constitution  (as amended)

Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora Tolulope Akande-Shadipe, however, assured that the bill would be reintroduced on the floor of the House.

She said the bill for the diaspora voting would pass this time because that is the direction the world is going and Nigeria must not be left behind.

“We would be back with the bill, they are Nigerians and they have the right to vote in Nigerian elections,” she stated.

The modalities and the issues that were raised the last time would be resolved and we would come back to it.”

Gender Bills

In March 2022,  lawmakers in the Green Chamber had the opportunity to address gender gaps in Nigeria when they considered five bills that sought to provide a remedy. However, the lawmakers rejected the bills.

Some of the five bills are; bill to expand the scope of citizenship by registration, bill to provide for affirmative action for women in political party administration, and bill to provide criteria for qualification to become an indigene of a state in Nigeria.”

The others are bill to provide special seats for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly and bill to give women a quota in the federal and state executive councils or ministerial and commissionership seats.

The bills were rejected during the clause-by-clause consideration, as an overwhelming majority rejected the bills in the House and the Senate, prompting protests by women groups who barricaded the National Assembly complex for days.

As a compromise, the House rescinded its decision on three of the bills and promised to represent them for consideration. The three are the bill to expand the scope of citizenship by registration, the bill to provide for affirmative action for women in political party administration, and the bill to provide criteria for qualification to become an indigene of a state in Nigeria were rescinded.

However, 10 months after that decision, the bills have not been listed, which means the lawmakers probably made the promise just to get the women off their protest ground in the National Assembly complex.

State Police Bill

Although the House didn’t make any commitment to passing the bill, there appears to be a consensus among political parties in Nigeria that the existing policing structure is not working. The House of Representatives had the opportunity to present state police as an alternative to the centralised system. However, members of the Constitutional Amendment killed the bill at the committee state, therefore, members did not have the opportunity to vote on the matter.

Despite the condition by the governors that the state police bill must be included for the States House of Assembly to consider the other bills currently before them, the members of the House are yet to pass the bill.

The impasse between the governors and the National Assembly could put the constitutional alteration process at risk, Mr Gbajabiamila recently said. However, despite that uncertainty, the National Assembly voted N850 million for the exercise in the 2023 budget.