Adekunle Adesuji
22 December 2011
Abuja — No fewer than 16 bills were passed into second reading by the Senate between June 6, 2011 when it was inaugurated and December 20, 2011 when it proceeded on yuletide break.
Addressing newsmen yesterday, on activities of the red chamber for the past six months, chairman of Senate Rules and Business, Ita Enang also disclosed that of the 106 Bills, 14 were Executive Bills while the remaining 92 were Members’ Bills.
Enag said 61 Bills had been read the First time, 16 read the Second time and referred to the relevant Committees, 26 others awaiting Journal Publication, while six were withdrawn for representation by sponsors.
So far, one Bill, the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill 2011 which was sponsored by Domingo Obende representing Edo North was passed amidst controversies and pressures from the internal communities.
The bill which has since been transmitted to the House of Representatives for concurrence, seeks to prohibit marriage between persons of same sex and witnessing of same.
Similarly, the Senate has passed 26 Resolutions and a fall out of these is the Bureau on Public Enterprises (BPE) and the Fuel Subsidy probe, while Executive Nominations ranging from federal ministers, heads of parastatals and departments and Justice Dahiru Musdapher as the Chief Justice of the Federation were confirmed.
Enang further described the period as “a very eventful legislative period” and noted that “the Senate has done remarkably well as an arm of government”.
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