The Senate on Tuesday
passed the National Tobacco Control Bill 2015 and the Equipment Leasing Bill
2015. The bill when assented to by President Goodluck Jonathan will repeal the
existing “Tobacco Smoking (Control) Act, CAP.T6, LFN 2004,” enacted in 1990 and
amended years later.
The bill will
ensure effective regulation and control of production, manufacture, sale,
labelling, advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco and tobacco
products in Nigeria. It will also ensure balance between economic consideration
and health implications of tobacco manufacture, use and exposure to
environmental tobacco smoke, among other things.
The Equipment
Leasing Bill is intended to regulate the business of equipment leasing in
Nigeria. It is proposed to bring sanity and certainty to the practice of
leasing in Nigeria as well as protect the lessees (users) and the lessors
(owners).
Meanwhile, the
senate will on Wednesday discuss the pending issue of the 1999 Constitution
(Amendment) Bill which the National Assembly had passed and sent to the
President for assent. The issue of the bill, however, became a subject of
litigation following resolution by the lawmakers to override the president, who
withheld assent to the bill after pointing out some “defects” in it, as
passed.
The furore generated by the
development forced the executive to approach the court for intervention in the
matter. And, the Supreme Court in a ruling on Wednesday ordered the executive
and the National Assembly to maintain the status quo until June 18 when it
hoped to decide on the matter.
The senate on
Tuesday listed the matter for discussion, which was later deferred to Wednesday
following a motion by Leader of the Senate, Victor Ndoma-Egba. Addressing the
senators after the motion, the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu,
who presided, announced that the senators would go into a closed-door meeting
on Wednesday to discuss on the issue.
Ekweremadu, who is also Chairman,
Joint Committee on Constitution Amendment, urged the senators to be punctual to
plenary, saying “we will have a closed-door session tomorrow to discuss this
item and respond appropriately.” (NAN)
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