ABUJA  – Senate of the Federal Republic yesterday, approved request by President Mohammadu Buhari to appoint fifteen Special Advisers that will aid him in his new assignment as the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
This is even as the red chamber passed for Third Reading, 46 blind bills transmitted from the House of Representatives, amidst protest from certain descending voices, who argued that hurried passage of Bills does not augur well for the country.
The opposing voices alleged that they had not had time to do thorough study of the Bills and that it was pertinent that the proposed legislative pieces be subjected to legislative debate at the Senate to allow for necessary adjustments and thoroughness.
Moving a motion for adoption of “special procedure” for concurrence of the transmitted bills from the House, Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba noted that the legislative time available to the Senate between now and the end of the legislative term “on or about 3rd of June, 2015 is limited”.
He also argued that time and resources have been expended in processing the Bill and that there was need to pass and forward them to President Buhari for Assent.
“By mutual consent and legislative reciprocities, the House of Representatives is adopting same special procedure and passing such bills passed by the Senate and transmitted to her for concurrence”, Sen. Ndoma-Egba continued.
The Majority Leader therefore moved for invocation of Order 1(b) and suspension of Order 79(1) of the Senate Standing Order 2011 (as amended) to adopt a Special Procedure; and to the Bills as having passed through First, Second and Third Readings on the Floor of the Senate and concur to same respectively.
Meanwhile, the Votes and Proceedings containing all the Bills as earlier passed by the House are to be produced for adoption at today’s valedictory plenary of the Senate.
The 2015 Bills include: Tertiary Education Trust Fund (Establishment etc) Act (Amendment) Bill; Office of the Nigerian Financial Ombudsman Bill; Institute of Chattered Trustees of Nigeria; National Convict and Criminal Records (Registry); Community Service; People’s Bank of Nigeria Act (Repeal); Nigerian Bank for Commerce and Industry Act (Repeal); National Commission for Rehabilitation Act (Repeal).
Maintenance Orders Act (Repeal); Federal Saving Bank Act (Repeal); Loan (State Development) Act (Repeal); Nigerians in Diaspora (Establishment) Commission; Electronic Transactions; Chattered Institute of Statisticians of Nigeria; Nigerian Metallurgical Industry; Federal Audit Commission; National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation Act (Amendment); Nigerian International Financial Centre (Establishment); and Investment and Securities (Amendment);
Nigerian Communication Satellite; Federal Capital Territory Education Resources Centre (Establishment etc); Labour Institutions (Establishment); Witness Protection Programme; Institute of Mediators and Conciliators; Legal Education Act (Amendment); National Health Insurance Commission; National Economic Intelligence Committee (Establishment) Act (Repeal); Federal College Dental Technology and Therapy;
Federal Capital College of Nursing and Midwifery; oaths Act (Amendment); Federal Capital Territory Health Management Board (establishment); Passport ((Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment); Chattered Institute of Management Accountants of Nigeria; Federal Capital Territory Water Board (Establishment etc);
Institute of Local Government and Administration; Whistle-blower Protection; Family Economic Advancement Programme (Establishment, etc) Act (Repeal); Family Support Trust Fund Act (Repeal); Nigeria Industrial Development Bank (Guarantee) Act (Repeal);
Treasury Management; Legislative Powers and Privileges Act (Repeal and Re-Enactment); Anti-Torture; Lobbyist (Registration and Regulation; National Hospital for Women and Children, Abuja (Establishment etc) Act (Amendment); Nigerian Prison Act (Repeal and Re-Enactment); Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Act (Amendment).
Votes and Proceedings of the plenary are to be adopted at today’s plenary and clean copies prepared for onward transmission to President Buhari for his Assent.

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