A Bill which seeks to repeal the Nigerian Law Reform Commission Act, 2004 and re-enact the Nigerian Law Reform Commission Act, 2018 has been passed by the Senate. The Bill aims to confer some level of autonomy on the Commission in discharging its responsibilities of reviewing any proposal for the reform of laws and to align its mandate with global best practices. It will also ensure that the Commission presents a detailed report of its activities to the National Assembly.
Presenting the report, Sen. David Umaru (APC:Niger), Chairman of the Committee on Human Rights, Judiciary and Legal Matters informed the Senate that the Committee had taken into consideration the submissions of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Hon. Abubakar Malami, representatives of the Nigerian Law Reform Commission, the National Human Rights Commission(NHRC), the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) and the Nigerian Bar Association(NBA) in making its findings.
In addition, he stated that stakeholders present at the Committee’s hearing had unanimously supported the bill noting that the bill, if passed, will:
- Address the delays in implementation of the Commission’s report;
- Address challenges of inadequate funding;
- Improve the administrative capacity and enhance collaborations with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs);
- Strengthen the Commission to deliver on its task of reforming laws; and
- Create avenues for effective collaboration with the National Assembly.
Sen. Umaru stated that the Committee had amended the following Sections of the Principal Act:
- Section 2(2), which deals with the Appointment and Tenure of Office of Members of the Commission
- Section 5(3) , which deals with the Functions of the Commission by inserting new subsections (4) and (7) (a) (b).
- Section 8, which deals with the Appointment of the Secretary and other Staff of the Commission
- Section 10, which deals with the Establishment of Fund by the Commission by inserting new subsections 11(1) (2) and 15 which makes it possible for the Commission to accept gifts provided there are no conditions attached. The provision also preserves the actions and activities of the Commission before repealing the existing Principal Act.
Sen. Umaru recommended the passage of the Bill on the basis that it will reposition the affairs of the Commission and further enhance the lawmaking process as a whole.
