‘Legislative Ambush’: Lawyer Demands Reform In National Assembly’s Bill Processing Over Islamic Bill

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A lawyer, Joshua Nwachukwu, has called on the 10th National Assembly to be more transparent and follow global law-making procedures to avoid overheating the polity.
In a statement released on Sunday, Nwachukwu expressed concern over the recent handling of a bill seeking to expand Islamic law in the constitution.
The bill, titled “An Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Review the Description of Islamic Law in the Constitution and for the related Matters (HB 1502),” was recently rejected by the House of Representatives. However, the manner in which the bill was introduced and debated has raised questions about the transparency of the law-making process.
According to Nwachukwu, many members of the House were not provided with copies of the bill or the relevant sections of the Principal Act it seeks to amend before it was called for a second reading. This lack of essential documentation is in violation of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives and left many members uninformed.
“This raises an important question on law-making. How can a bill be scheduled for first and second reading and the lawmakers who are expected to pass the bill are not aware of what they are passing? If this isn’t legislative ambush, what then is it?” Nwachukwu asked.
He also pointed out that the motion to suspend further debates to allow members adequate time to study the bill was also voted down, further raising concerns about the transparency of the process.
Nwachukwu stressed that apart from lawmakers, the electorates are also entitled to be carried along in the law-making process. He noted that an important stage in the law-making process is gazetting the bill to let the public know of the existence of a new piece of legislation so that they can weigh in on the matter. However, in the case of HB 1502, none of this was done, leaving both lawmakers and citizens in the dark.
The lawyer warned that this lack of transparency and unprofessional legislative conduct unnecessarily heightens tension, gives oxygen to conspiracy theories, and makes the two major religious institutions suspicious of each other. He called on lawmakers to remember that law-making is serious business as the laws they make can make and mar the lives of Nigerians, hence the need for Nigerians to be carried along during the law-making process.
Nwachukwu also called on the National Assembly to have a policy to publicize all bills and make them available for public scrutiny. He noted that in other climes, bills are readily made available on the website and social media handles of the legislature and even that of the sponsors, and urged Nigerian legislators to do likewise.
Finally, Nwachukwu called on the National Assembly to make public the four tax reform bills that President Muhammadu Buhari transmitted to them earlier this month, stating that the earlier the better.
The post ‘Legislative Ambush’: Lawyer Demands Reform In National Assembly’s Bill Processing Over Islamic Bill appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.

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