Senate passes Witness Protection Bill
PRESS STATEMENT
Senate Passes Witness Protection Bill
The Senate, on
Wednesday, March 30, 2022 passed the Witness Protection and Management Bill,
2022.
The passage of
the Bill was sequel to the consideration of its report by the Committee on
Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.
Chairman of the
Committee, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, in his presentation, said the Bill was read
for the first time on February 23, 2021, and second time on January 25, 2022.
According to
the lawmaker, the Bill seeks to provide the legal and institutional framework
for the protection of witnesses and related persons in respect of disclosures
made for 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 and/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-emphasized as it will
give the needed impetus and credence to the current anti-corruption drive of
this administration”.
The Witness
Protection and Management Bill, 2022 was passed into law by the Senate after clause-by-clause
consideration in 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, who presided over the session referred the Bill after
its debate to the Committee on Environment for further legislative work.
The Committee
has four weeks to report back to the chamber in plenary.
The Senate on
Wednesday also stood down the consideration of the report on a Bill to
establish the Federal Polytechnic, Orozo, FCT, 2022 by the Committee on
Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND.
The Bill was
stood down due to the absence of the Committee Chairman, Sen. Ahmad
Babba-Kaita, 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 further legislative
inputs.
The Nomination
of Dr. Hale Gabriel Longpet as Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was referred to the Committee
on INEC to report back in two weeks.
Also referred
was the President’s request for the confirmation of four nominees as Executive
Commissioners of the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission (NURC) 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 Committees
have four weeks to conclude the exercise and report back to the chamber.
Signed:
Dr. Ezrel Tabiowo, FAI, FIMC, CMC, FCP, Fsca
Special Assistant (Press)
To President of the Senate
Wednesday, March 30, 2022.