Senate, on Wednesday, passed the Witness Protection and
Management Bill, 2022.
The passage of the bill was sequel to the consideration of a
report by the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.
Chairman of the Committee, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, in his
presentation, said the bill was read for the first time on February 23, 2021,
and a second time on January 25, 2022.
According to the lawmaker, the bill seeks to provide for the
legal and institutional framework for the protection of witnesses and related
persons in respect of disclosures made for the public interest.
“It also seeks to provide support, management and protection
of witnesses, which will be implemented by all public institutions vested with
powers to investigate an/or prosecute criminal cases.
“This programme is a universally accepted concept for the
protection of witnesses, who are willing to provide information and evidence
for the purpose of enhancing the justice system and whose lives are threatened
as a result thereof.
“Therefore, the need to have this legislation in place,
cannot be over-emphasised as it will give the needed impetus and credence to
the current anti-corruption drive of this administration”, he said.
The report on the Witness Protection and Management Bill was
passed by the Senate after a clause-by-clause consideration by the Committee of
the Whole.
In a related development, a bill to amend some provisions of
the National Biosafety Management Agency Act 2015 has scaled second reading in
the Senate.
The bill which was sponsored by the Senate Leader, Yahaya
Abdullahi (Kebbi North), seeks to regulate, control and limit any threat to
public health, or the environment from the commercial handling of Genetically
Modified Organisms (GMOs) in Nigeria.
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, referred the bill after
consideration to the Committee on Environment for further work.
The Committee was given four weeks to report back to the
chamber in plenary.
The Senate on Wednesday also stepped down consideration of a
report on a bill to establish the Federal Polytechnic Orozo, by the Committee
on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND.
The bill was stepped down due to the absence of the
Chairman, Senator Ahmad Babba-Kaita, who was billed to present the report for
consideration.
Meanwhile, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has referred
two confirmation requests by President Muhammadu Buhari to the relevant
committees for legislative input.
The confirmation of Dr. Hale Gabriel Longpet as Resident
Electoral Commission for the Independent National Electoral Commission was
referred to the Committee on INEC to report back in two weeks.
Also referred to was the President’s request for the
confirmation of four nominees as Executive Commissioners of the Nigerian
Upstream Regulatory Commission to the Committee on Petroleum Resources
(Upstream).
The nominees include Dr. Nuhu Habib (North West, Kano
State), Commissioner, Development and Production; and Dr. Kelechi Onyekachi
Ofoegbu (South East, Imo State), Commissioner, Economic Regulation and
Strategic Planning.
Others are Capt. Tonlagha Roland John (South-South, Delta
State), Commissioner, Health, Safety, Environment and Community; and Jide
Adeola (North Central, Kogi State), Commissioner, Corporate Services and
Administration.
The nominees are expected to appear before the respective
Committees for screening.
The Committee was given four weeks to conclude work on the
screening exercise and report back to the chamber.
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