Last week, the Senate talked about several important issues. These included setting up state police, banning textile imports, regulating cryptocurrency, increasing the number of judges in the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal, and extending the timeline for the 2025 budget.
Senate Moves to Create State Police
State police was supposed to be a big topic in the Senate. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele told journalists last Monday that the Senate would pass the bill that week.
But the proposal did not get discussed until Thursday. It passed its second reading and was sent to the Senate Committee on Constitution Review for further checks. This includes public hearings to hear what citizens think about the proposed police system.
Mr Bamidele sponsored the bill. It aims to give policing powers to state governments to improve Nigeria’s internal security. The bill also wants to update the policing system by creating State Police Service Commissions to handle recruitment, training, and management of police officers.
Additionally, the bill suggests moving policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List. This change will let both federal and state governments have policing powers. There is no date set for the public hearing yet. The committee will take submissions from important people, including the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi.
Lawmakers Want Total Ban on Textile Imports
On Tuesday, during plenary, the Senate called for a total ban on textile imports. This is to help Nigeria’s local textile industry grow, create jobs, and bring in more money.
The Senate also urged the federal government to give more funding through the Bank of Industry (BOI) to help the struggling textile sector. These decisions came after they adopted a motion from Kaduna South Senator, Sunday Katung. He pointed out the need to revive Nigeria’s textile industry.
The motion had support from other senators, including Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Adams Oshiomhole, Ibrahim Khalid, Tahir Monguno, and Mustapha Khabeeb. Mr Katung said the unchecked importation of textiles has caused Nigeria to lose its status as a major employer in the sector.
Senate Plans Cryptocurrency Regulation
On the same Tuesday, the Senate passed a bill to regulate cryptocurrency. This is to protect investors and boost Nigeria’s digital economy. The bill went to the Senate Committee on Capital Market for further examination and a public hearing, with a report due in four weeks.
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin sponsors the bill. It aims to create a clear set of rules for virtual and digital assets, including Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs). It also suggests that cryptocurrency exchanges must get licenses and follow rules for transparency and compliance.
Chief Whip Tahir Monguno presented the bill’s lead debate for Mr Jibrin. He noted that Nigeria is behind many African countries in regulating digital finance, despite having high rates of cryptocurrency adoption. Mr Monguno said the lack of a solid legal framework puts investors at risk and allows illegal activities to thrive.
Lawmakers Query SEDC Over Unaccounted N4bn
On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on the South East Development Commission (SEDC) questioned the management about over N4 billion spent from its 2025 budget. Managing Director Mark Okoye defended the commission’s spending before the committee.
Committee chairman Orji Kalu asked how the commission has helped the South-east and demanded details on the budget's use. Mr Kalu, who represents Abia North Senatorial District, wanted to know how much money was left and how it was spent.
Mr Okoye could not provide a full account of the spending. This led the committee to ask him and other officials to come back on Tuesday with full financial records.
Increase in Federal High Court Judges and Court of Appeal Justices
Two bills to expand Nigeria’s judiciary passed their second reading in the Senate on Wednesday. One bill wants to increase the number of judges in the Federal High Court from 70 to 90. The other bill seeks to raise the number of Court of Appeal justices from 70 to 110.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele sponsored both bills, and they passed during the plenary session. After the passage, the bills were sent to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.
The Federal High Court bill aims to speed up justice by adding more judges to handle cases. The Court of Appeal bill not only wants more justices but also aims to ensure fair representation from all states and the Federal Capital Territory in the court.
It also wants to clarify seniority and ranking among justices, improve the court's administration, and enhance how appeals are handled.
National Assembly Building on Fire
A part of the Senate wing of the National Assembly caught fire on Wednesday. This happened shortly after the Senate Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) finished screening Zainab Marwa for the commission’s board.
The fire started from the kitchen area near Hearing Room 107, where the NDDC screening took place. A microwave oven left unattended caused the explosion.
Fortunately, there were no injuries, and no important documents or property were lost before the fire was put out.
Committee Threatens Arrest Warrant Against Mele Kyari, Senate Overrules
On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Public Accounts threatened to issue an arrest warrant against former NNPC Ltd CEO, Mele Kyari. This was to make him appear before them.
The threat came after Mr Kyari skipped several invitations to explain a N210 trillion discrepancy found in reports from the Auditor-General of the Federation from 2017 to 2023. Committee chairman Ibrahim Dankwambo warned during the meeting that they had no choice but to act since Mr Kyari had not come despite being invited many times.
But when the Senate met again on Thursday, some lawmakers disagreed with the committee’s threat to arrest Mr Kyari. They said only the Senate president has the power to approve such actions, based on their rules and the law.
So, the Senate dropped the threat against Mr Kyari and told committees not to issue such threats in the future without the Senate president's go-ahead.
Extension of 2025 Budget Again
The Senate also extended the time to implement the capital aspect of the 2025 budget from June 30 to September 30. This is to let the government finish projects covered by the budget law.
This is the third time lawmakers have extended the capital part of the 2025 budget. This comes despite promises from the Tinubu administration that Nigeria would stop using overlapping budgets.
Senate Chief Whip Tahir Monguno sponsored the bill for the extension during the plenary. He said the extension is needed to ensure proper funding for government programs, projects, and activities.
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