Senators, Reps: Say No To Bill Seeking VAT On Exclusive List, Endorses Fin. Autonomy For LGs

– Reject immunity for Senate President, Speaker
– Okays States’ powers to legislate on railways, electricity

Another attempt to amend the 1999 Constitution got a boost at the National Assembly yesterday.

Lawmakers voted on the 68 bills recommended by the Joint Committee on Constitution Review.

With yesterday’s voting, the review attempt will move to the Houses of Assembly.

Value Added Tax (VAT) failed to attract the ‘Yes’ vote that would move it to the purview of only the Federal Government, otherwise known as the Exclusive List.

The majority of senators and representatives voted ‘Nay’ on the bill.

The VAT is not listed in the Constitution.

The judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, which allowed the Rivers State Government to collect a tax within its jurisdiction, has stirred controversy.

Following an appeal by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Court of Appeal ruled that the status quo should be maintained.

The matter is now before the Supreme Court, with other states, including Lagos, joining the fray.

Women and traditional rulers also lost out during yesterday’s vote by the lawmakers.

They rejected constitutional roles for monarchs and a special seat for women in parliament and slots in the executive branch of government.

A bill seeking the establishment of national and state councils of traditional rulers was overwhelmingly rejected.

Although the House of Representatives passed the bill, it is technically dead on arrival because the Senate voted NO.

The decision of the lawmakers is that any bill that fails to get concurrent passage in both chambers will stand rejected.

The presence of the wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo and her delegation at the gallery did not stop the lawmakers from throwing out the bills seeking to create special seats for women.

A Bill on Affirmative Action which seeks to provide a minimum percentage of 10 women nominees as ministers and commissioners in the federal and state executive councils, was rejected by the Senate but reluctantly passed in the House of Representatives.

Both chambers threw out a bill seeking special seats for women in the Senate, House of Representatives and Houses of Assembly and a bill to provide for affirmative action for women in political party administration by requiring a minimum of 35 per cent of party executive members at all levels to be women.

National Assembly leadership – Senate President and Speaker – failed to attract the support that would have granted them immunity from prosecution.

Proponents of power devolution got their demand with a nod for states to legislate on railways and electricity generation, distribution and transmission in areas covered by the national grid within their jurisdictions.

Local governments also got yes votes for financial autonomy.

Both chambers voted to allow powers to build and operate airports and Correctional Service (prisons) from the Exclusive List to the Concurrent List.

Items on the Concurrent List are those that both the Federal Government and the states can legislate upon.

A bill on financial autonomy for state legislature and state judiciary, which seeks to provide for the implementation of financial autonomy already granted by earlier alterations, was passed.

A bill seeking to allow Nigerians living in Diaspora to vote was rejected.

Both chambers passed a bill to empower the National Assembly and Houses of Assembly to summon the President and governors to answer questions on security matters or any other issue on which the National Assembly and Houses of Assembly have powers to make laws.

The Senate and the House also passed a Bill on the enforcement of the legislative summons.

The Bill seeks to delete the power of the legislature to impose costs and fines due to failure, refusal or neglect to attend to legislative summons by making such failure, neglect or refusal an offence punishable in accordance with an Act of the National Assembly.

Both chambers passed a bill that seeks to ensure that a two-thirds majority of all members-elect as the quorum required for the first or inaugural session of members-elect of the National and Houses of Assembly.

Both chambers rejected a Bill on the procedure for overriding presidential veto in constitution alteration.

However, while the Senate rejected the bill on the procedure for overriding Executive veto in respect of ordinary and money Bills, the House of Representatives passed it.

The Senate and House rejected a bill that seeks to ensure that the removal of presiding officers of National and Houses of Assembly should be based on the inability to perform the functions of office or misconduct.

Although the Senate passed a Bill to provide life pension for presiding officers of the legislature, including the Senate President and his deputy and Speaker and Deputy Speaker, the House of Representatives rejected it.

The Senate and House, however, passed a bill seeking to create a uniform retirement age of 70 years for Justices and judges of superior courts of record by providing that all judges, including Justices of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, may retire when they attain the age of 65 years, but they shall cease to hold office when they attain the age of 70 years.

However while the House of Representatives passed a bill that seeks to include judges of the National Industrial Courts as members of Election Tribunals, the Senate rejected it.

Also passed by both chambers is a bill that seeks to empower the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission to enforce compliance with remittance of accruals into and disbursement of revenue from the Federation Account.

A bill that seeks to remove transitional law-making powers from the Executive Arm of Government was also passed by both chambers.

Besides, a bill that seeks to expand the scope of executive immunity under Section 308 of the constitution to include the heads of other arms of government was rejected by both chambers.

A bill on the domestication of treaties that seek to specify 180 days as a maximum period within which the Executive shall present to the National Assembly any treaty between the Federation and any other country for enactment was passed by the two chambers.

Also passed by both Houses is a bill which seeks to provide a period of not later than three months before the 31st of December within which the President or a Governor shall lay the Appropriation Bill before the National Assembly or House of Assembly and a period of not later than 31st December within which the National Assembly or House of Assembly shall pass the Appropriation Bill.

Both chambers also passed bills to provide for a period after the swearing-in of the president or governor to forward to the Senate or House of Assembly names of nominees for confirmation as ministers or commissioners; to make presiding officers of the National Assembly members of the National Security Council Council and to establish a State Security Council to advise the governor on matters relating to public security.

Bills passed by both chambers include the one seeking to reduce the period within which the president or a governor may authorise the withdrawal of monies from the Consolidated Revenue Fund in the absence of an Appropriation Act from six months to three months; and to establish the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federal Government distinct from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

A bill that seeks to establish the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation distinct from the Office of the Minister of Justice, or Commissioner for Justice to make the Office of the Attorney-General independent and insulated from partisanship was also passed by both chambers.

Others include the passage of a bill on independent candidacy to allow an independent candidate to contest for any elective position.

Mrs Osinbajo led a delegation of women to observe the Senate’s plenary.

Senate President Lawan recognised her presence and her team at the gallery.

Mrs Osinbajo was accompanied by the United Nations Country Representative to Nigeria, Comfort Lamptey.

Autonomy for Judiciary, LGAs, others will strengthen democracy, says NLC

Labour leaders said autonomy for the judiciary, Houses of Assembly and local governments would guarantee progress and development in the country.

NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who led the workers to the National Assembly, said Labour would not relent until it becomes law.

The NLC boss said autonomy for LGAs, the judiciary and others would strengthen democracy.

Wabba said: “We want overwhelming voting. We don’t want 99 per cent, but we want the members to give 100 per cent of their votes to guarantee the independence of the judiciary, to guarantee full autonomy for local governments and also to guarantee full autonomy to our legislature.

“This is what will strengthen our democracy. We are going to actually name each person that fails to vote in this light. We will name and shame them.”

General Secretary of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) Comrade Isaiah Adetola said his union had been at the forefront of the struggle for autonomy for the judiciary.

He added: “We have gone to court and obtained a valid order granting autonomy to Judiciary but the governors who did not appeal the judgment are also not respecting it,” Adetola said.

Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ado Dogowa and Chairman Senate Committee on Labour, Senator Godiya Akwashiki told the workers that both the National Assembly and Labour are on the same page.