President Muhammadu Buhari has signed into law the Legislative Houses (Power and Privileges), Act 2018.
The bill, which grants members of Legislative Houses in the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly immunity from litigation for actions taken in plenary or committee proceedings of the House or committee, was signed by the President, on Friday, along seven others inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, explained that the law is meant to strengthen the power of the legislators to carry out their legislative functions.
The powers include powers to summon any person to appear before her, give evidence, including the power of an officer of the legislative House to arrest any person who commits an offense against the Act.
Other bills signed into law were the National Institute of Legislative Studies (Amendment) Act, 2018; the National Senior Citizens Centre Act, 2018; Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Spain (Domestication and Enforcement ) Act, 2018; Rail Loan (International Bank) (Repeal) Act, 2018; Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2018; Chartered Institute of Local Government and Public Administration Act, 2018, and Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (Establishment), Act, 2018.
While the National Institute of Legislative Studies Act, establishing the institute, widens her powers to include powers to provide training courses and award degrees on democracy, party politics, the electoral process, legislative practice, and procedures, the NSCC Act establishes the Centre in the country to cater for the needs of senior citizens.
