During the plenary session, lawmakers passed a bill for the first reading to establish Orlu State.

The bill, sponsored by Ikenga Ugochinyere of Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency in Imo State, among others, aims to amend the 1999 Constitution to increase the number of states from 36 to 37.

Orlu State will be formed from parts of Imo, Abia, and Anambra States, with Orlu as its capital.

The proposed state will include 28 local government areas, such as Orlu, Orsu, Oru West, Ideato North, and Njaba, among others.

Ugochinyere appealed to his colleagues for support to ensure the bill’s passage through a second reading.

He emphasized that the creation of Orlu State would lead to the formation of Ideato as a senatorial district. Currently, the South-East has five states, the fewest among Nigeria’s regions.

The bill’s progression aligns with other regional demands, like the South-West’s push for Oke-Ogun State, which would equalize state numbers with the North-West.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio disclosed this during a joint plenary session attended by Tinubu.

The final assent to the bill will replace the current anthem, “Arise O Compatriots” with the former.

The bill was swiftly passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The resolution comes following meticulous consideration of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND report, presented by Chairman Senator Muntari Dandutse during a plenary session.

President Bola Tinubu’s transmission of the bill to the National Assembly last week set the stage for this crucial legislative move.

The Upper Legislative Chamber expedited the process by suspending pertinent sections of its standing rules and swiftly referred the bill to the Committee of the Whole for comprehensive deliberation.

After thorough debate, Senate President Godswill Akpabio directed further scrutiny of the bill by the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND.

The committee is tasked with refining the legislation and reporting back within one week, underscoring the Senate’s commitment to swift and effective action.

At its core, the bill aims to democratize higher education by facilitating interest-free loans through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.

This initiative is poised to uplift indigent Nigerians, ensuring broader access to quality education and fostering national development.

During a virtual diaspora dialogue, Bamidele highlighted the National Assembly’s commitment to reevaluating diaspora voting rights and other related issues impacting Nigerians abroad.

Bamidele, who had previously sponsored a motion for the Constitution’s review, assured stakeholders that the diaspora voting rights would be a significant aspect of the ongoing constitution review process.

He said, “Let me tell you some good news. Not that we are trying to bring the bill back. The bill is already on the floor of the 10th Senate. Exactly two weeks ago, we had the first reading of the bill. It has already been scheduled for a second reading.

“Definitely, as the Leader of the Senate, I can assure you that we will consider the second reading of the bill this week. After this stage, it will be referred to the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.”

As the Senate Leader emphasized the importance of diaspora voting rights and greater inclusion in the electoral process, he acknowledged the bill’s progression through various stages. After the second reading, the bill will be referred to the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.

Bamidele clarified the legislative process, stating, “After the passage of the bill, it will be taken to the House of Representatives for concurrence. Diaspora voting is a right that must be recognized in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

He urged stakeholders to engage with governors and Speakers of the State Houses of Assembly to ensure the bill’s passage into law, emphasizing the significance of diaspora voting as a generational fight and a crucial step toward electoral inclusivity.

The Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 serves as a comprehensive legal framework safeguarding personal information and governing the practice of data protection within Nigeria.

During the NDPB Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) validation workshop held in Abuja, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, the National Commissioner of the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB), made this announcement.

On Tuesday, April 4, 2023, the bill was submitted to both the Senate and House of Representatives for careful deliberation and eventual passage.

This submission came in the form of a letter from former President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Now an Act, the new law establishes the Nigeria Data Protection Commission and replaces the NDPB established by former  President Buhari in February 2022.”

Heading the Commission will be a National Commissioner entrusted with the crucial responsibility of overseeing and regulating the processing of personal information.

This move aims to support students in Nigeria by providing them with interest-free loans through higher institutions.

This landmark legislation, which was eagerly awaited by students across Nigeria, promises to revolutionize the higher education landscape in the country.

Dele Alake, an aide to the president, made the announcement to State House Correspondents during a press briefing held on Monday evening.

The signing of the bill signifies the government’s commitment to providing financial assistance to Nigerian students pursuing higher education.

Under the provisions of the newly enacted law, Nigerian students will now have the opportunity to avail themselves of loans at interest-free rates.

This crucial provision aims to alleviate the burden of exorbitant interest rates that often hindered students from pursuing their academic aspirations.

The Student Loan Bill had already gained substantial momentum within the legislative process, having successfully passed the second reading at the House of Representatives on May 25, 2023.

Its passage through the various stages of deliberation underscores the widespread recognition of the importance of higher education and the need for accessible financial support for students.

With this law in effect, aspiring Nigerian students can now be optimistic about their chances of securing financial assistance to pursue their educational goals.

President Bola Tinubu’s decisive action in signing this bill demonstrates the government’s commitment to empowering the nation’s youth and investing in their future.

This bill, known as the constitution alteration bill No. 58, was officially approved and is now law.

Additionally, another crucial bill was passed by the House. This bill aimed to include the presiding officers of the National Assembly as members of the National Security Council (NSC).

To accomplish this, the bill will modify the third schedule of the principal act by inserting paragraph (bb) and (ba) into the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Fifth Alteration) Bill No. 46.

This modification will allow the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to join the National Security Council.

Following the successful passage of these bills, the House directed the Clerk to the National Assembly to transmit them to President Muhammadu Buhari for his assent.

Additionally, the House called upon the State Houses of Assembly in Jigawa, Kebbi, Kwara, Plateau, and Taraba to provide their input on the bills.

This decision was made after the adoption of a motion put forward by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Idris Wase, Minority Leader Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, Hon. Babajimi Benson, and 76 other lawmakers.

The motion reminded the House that on May 3, 2023, the Clerk to the National Assembly had been instructed to transmit the Constitution, 1999 (Fifth Alteration) Bill No. 47 to the President for assent, as it fulfilled the requirements of Section 9(2) of the Constitution.

The motion also emphasized the obligation of the Houses of Assembly in Gombe, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kwara, Plateau, and Taraba to submit their resolutions in compliance with the Constitution.

In line with this, the Gombe State House of Assembly had already forwarded its resolution.

Consequently, it was determined that with the approval of the Gombe State House of Assembly, the Constitution, 1999 (Fifth Alteration) Bill Nos. 46 (Membership of the National Security Council to include Presiding Officers of the National Assembly), 2023, and 58 (Independent Candidacy), 2023 had satisfied the provisions outlined in Section 9(2) of the Constitution and could proceed to be enacted.

Senate resolution followed the presentation of the two bills, sponsored by Sen. Gobir Abdullahi (APC-Sokoto).

The two sponsored bills were: Bill for an Act to amend the 2022 Appropriation Act and Bill for an Act to amend the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act.

Abdullahi in his presentation said the bills seek to amend the 2022 appropriation act and 2022 supplementary appropriation act to extend the implementation year from March 31 to June 30.

He said the National Assembly had extended the implementation of the 2022 appropriation Act from Dec 31 2022 to March 31, 2023.

This, he said was to allow for full implementation of the budget, given the approval of a supplementary budget approved in Dec 2022.

He said the extension had allowed Ministries Department and Agencies (MDAs) to use a large proportion of funds released to them.

He, however, said a significant amount of funds remained with MDAs and would require a further extension to be fully extended.

He said given the critical importance of some key projects nearing completion, requested for further extension of the expiration clause in the appropriation act.

He added that the long title explanatory memorandum of the supplementary appropriation act was expedient.

This, he said was to avoid compounding the problem of abandoned projects, given that some of the projects were not provided for in the 2023 budget.

Abdullahi urged the senators to support the bill to allow for full utilisation of capital release to help reflate the economy.

Lawan made this known during plenary on Tuesday.

The National Assembly had in January, transmitted 35 Constitutional Alteration bills to the President for assent but Buhari had on Friday last week, assented to 16 out of 35 Constitution alterations bills transmitted to him for assent by the National Assembly.

Briefing at the Senate in Plenary Tuesday on the presidential action, Lawan said out of the 35 constitution alteration bill forwarded to the President in January for assent, 19 of them were rejected while 16 of them were assented to.

The Senate President noted that the most striking of the assented 16 bills according to him, was the fifth alteration bill number six which makes provisions for financial independence of State Houses of Assembly and Judiciary.

Lawan said, “We sent 35 Constitution Amendment bills. 16 of them were approved while 19m of them were rejected.

“We will find out why those bills were rejected because we put a lot of resources into the process.”

The Senate President added, “We will continue to engage the executive and go through the bills and see if there are issues that we can deal with within the short period, we will continue to pursue them.

“But if the issues are cumbersome, we can leave it for the 10th Assembly.”

The first of such 19 bills rejected by the President was the fifth alteration bill number 24, which sought an Act to Alter the Second Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to empower the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly to summon the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Governors of States to answer questions on issues on which the National and State Houses of Assembly have the powers to make.

Also, alteration bill number 7 which sought an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to compel persons to obey or comply with Legislative Summons, was refused assent by the President.

Others are fifth alteration bill number 29 which sought for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to provide for a State of the Nation and State of the State Address by the President and Governor.

Fifth alteration bill number 22 which sought for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Specify the period within which the President or the Governor of State shall present the Appropriation Bill before the National Assembly or House of Assembly.

Fifth alteration bill number 30 which sought an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Include Former Heads of the National Assembly in the Council of State.

Fifth alteration bill number 14 which sought an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to move Fingerprints, Identification and Criminal Records from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List

Fifth alteration bill number 18 which sought an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to empower the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission to Enforce Compliance with the Remittance of Accruals into and Disbursement of Revenue from the Federation Account and Streamline the Procedure for Reviewing the Revenue Allocation Formula.

Fifth alteration bill number 66 which sought an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Reflect the Establishment and Core Functions of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps etc.