Malami restores law reform commission’s mandate

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,
Abubakar Malami (SAN) has restored the mandate of the Nigerian Law
Reform Commission (NLRC) to revise the Laws of the Federation

Its Chairman Mr. Kefas Magaji said the law revision exercise was
part of the commission’s mandate as articulated in its
Establishment Act.

He said successive Attorneys-General have over the years
appropriated the law revision exercise by constituting law revision
committees to undertake law revision.

For instance, a Law Revision Committee was constituted to
produce the Laws of Federation in 1990 and 2004.

Magaji said: “By convention law revision exercise is undertaken
after every 10years and this is to allow for laws to be amended,
repealed or a good number of new laws to be enacted.

“The current Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar
Malami (SAN) deemed it fit to restore back to the Commission the
mandate of Law revision. The Commission is ready to undertake this
task and it has the capacity to deliver.”

On the challenges before the commission, Magaji said: “T he
greatest challenge would be the issue of funding, but there is the
willingness and determination on the part of the staff and legal
experts in Nigeria to participate in the exercise and ensure that
accurate laws as enacted by the National Assembly are produced.

“It is also important to state that, record keeping culture in
this country leaves a lot to be desired, as most institutions that
should have copies of laws passed by the National Assembly and
subsidiary legislation made in the past 10 years do not have
them.

“Also, serious research is being undertaken by consultants to
identify laws or provisions of laws that have been struck down by
courts within the periods under review are identified and deleted
from the text of the law.”

On the scope of work involved in the exercise he said: “Law
revision exercise covers all federal laws in Nigeria. It includes
laws enacted after 2002 to date, laws inadvertently omitted in Laws
of Federation 2004, laws repealed by later laws, laws repealed by
courts of competent jurisdiction and the 663 laws contained in Laws
of Federation 2004

“This law revision exercise will culminate in the production of
up to date and authentic Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN)
for Nigeria.

“Currently, government printers which have the mandate of
producing government official gazettes, which includes Acts,
Subsidiary Legislation, Government decisions etc, no longer
operates in their full capacity, and as a result, Lawsc hurned out
by the National Assembly are now being printed by Private
Publishing companies.

“Private companies are profit oriented and their focus is always
on producing for the purpose of the market instead of ascertaining
the correctness of the document being produce.

“As a result of this, most laws that are published come in two
or more versions depending on the publishing company that published
it and it is difficult to ascertain which is authentic and which is
not. With the production of LFN 2018, this issue will be resolved,”
Magaji stated.

Culled from TheNation

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,
Abubakar Malami (SAN) has restored the mandate of the Nigerian Law
Reform Commission (NLRC) to revise the Laws of the
Federation

Its Chairman Mr. Kefas Magaji said the law revision exercise was
part of the commission’s mandate as articulated in its
Establishment Act.

He said successive Attorneys-General have over the years
appropriated the law revision exercise by constituting law revision
committees to undertake law revision.

For instance, a Law Revision Committee was constituted to
produce the Laws of Federation in 1990 and 2004.

Magaji said: “By convention law revision exercise is undertaken
after every 10years and this is to allow for laws to be amended,
repealed or a good number of new laws to be enacted.

“The current Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar
Malami (SAN) deemed it fit to restore back to the Commission the
mandate of Law revision. The Commission is ready to undertake this
task and it has the capacity to deliver.”

On the challenges before the commission, Magaji said: “T he
greatest challenge would be the issue of funding, but there is the
willingness and determination on the part of the staff and legal
experts in Nigeria to participate in the exercise and ensure that
accurate laws as enacted by the National Assembly are produced.

“It is also important to state that, record keeping culture in
this country leaves a lot to be desired, as most institutions that
should have copies of laws passed by the National Assembly and
subsidiary legislation made in the past 10 years do not have
them.

“Also, serious research is being undertaken by consultants to
identify laws or provisions of laws that have been struck down by
courts within the periods under review are identified and deleted
from the text of the law.”

On the scope of work involved in the exercise he said: “Law
revision exercise covers all federal laws in Nigeria. It includes
laws enacted after 2002 to date, laws inadvertently omitted in Laws
of Federation 2004, laws repealed by later laws, laws repealed by
courts of competent jurisdiction and the 663 laws contained in Laws
of Federation 2004

“This law revision exercise will culminate in the production of
up to date and authentic Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN)
for Nigeria.

“Currently, government printers which have the mandate of
producing government official gazettes, which includes Acts,
Subsidiary Legislation, Government decisions etc, no longer
operates in their full capacity, and as a result, Lawsc hurned out
by the National Assembly are now being printed by Private
Publishing companies.

“Private companies are profit oriented and their focus is always
on producing for the purpose of the market instead of ascertaining
the correctness of the document being produce.

“As a result of this, most laws that are published come in two
or more versions depending on the publishing company that published
it and it is difficult to ascertain which is authentic and which is
not. With the production of LFN 2018, this issue will be resolved,”
Magaji stated.

Culled from TheNation