Senate debates amendment bill on Land Use Act
The Senate on Thursday referred to its Committee on Constitution Review (CCR), President Umaru Yar’Adua’s request for an amendment to the Land Use Act, Cap L15 of 2004.
The president’s request, which came as an executive amendment bill, had passed through the first reading in the Senate on March 24.
NAN correspondent reports that the executive bill specifically seeks to amend sections 5, 7, 15, 21, 22, 23 and 28 of the extant act “to restrict governors' consent in land transactions to assignments only.”
The amendment would also render as unnecessary, state governors’ consent for mortgages, sub-leases and other land transfers, - all aimed at making transactions in land less cumbersome and thus facilitate economic growth and development.
At the second reading of the bill on Thursday, Senate President David Mark said that commencement of debate on the executive bill, in a way marked the beginning of the review of the 1999 Constitution.
He appealed to the Joint Committee on Constitution Review (JCCR) of the National Assembly to “put behind its ego on who should be the chairman or vice chairman of the committee in the interest of the nation.”
Mark said that he was not in favour of a complete review of the constitution, but that only necessary areas should be amended.
The CCR has a four-week deadline to report its recommendation to the Senate.
Fielding questions from newsmen later, Sen. Ayogu Eze, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Information and Media, said that the JCCR was “still intact.”
He said that members of the JCCR from both chambers would meet to consider the amendment proposed to the Land Use Act.
``We decided to refer the bill to the Senate Committee on Constitution Review because the bill was sent to the Senate as a separate arm of the National Assembly.
``The House of Representatives and the Senate will soon meet to agree on areas of differences in the act,’’ he added.