Buhari signs bill on lawmakers’ immunity, seven others into law
Published January 27, 2018

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday signed eight bills earlier passed by the National Assembly into law.

The brief signing ceremony was held inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, briefed State House Correspondents after the President signed the bills into law.



Prominent among the bills signed into law is the Legislative Houses (Power and Privileges), Act 2018.

The Act grants members of the legislative houses in the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly immunity from litigation for actions taken in plenary or committee proceedings.

According to Enang, 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 offence against the Act.

Another bill signed into law was the National Institute of Legislative Studies (Amendment) Act, 2018.

The 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 President also assented to the National Senior Citizens Centre Act, 2018.

The Act establishes the National Senior Citizens Centre in the country to cater for the needs of senior citizens.



Others are 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.

http://punchng.com/buhari-signs-bill-conferring-immunity-on-lawmakers-okays-seven-others-2/

Parliamentary Privilege in the United States Congress

More particularly, privilege for individual members includes: “freedom of speech; freedom from arrest in civil actions; exemption from jury duty; exemption from being subpoenaed to attend court as a witness; and freedom from obstruction, interference, intimidation and molestation.”

Article I, Section 6, Paragraph 1 of the American Constitution codifies the basic principles of parliamentary privilege that the Bill of Rights, 1689 affirmed for English Members of Parliament:

[Senators and Representatives] shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.

The Framers understood that Congress, like the Westminster Parliament, would need to confer certain immunities and privileges upon its members so that they could truly hold the executive branch to account without fear of reprisal — particularly in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War and in the fragile development of the fledgling republic.

https://parliamentum.org/2011/09/16/the-westminster-origins-of-the-united-states-congress-on-parliamentary-privilege/

Parliamentary privilege

In Canada
In Canada, the privileges of Parliament are rights which are absolutely necessary for the due execution of its powers. They are enjoyed by individual Members, because the House cannot perform its functions without unimpeded use of the service of its Members, and by each House for the protection of its members and the vindication of its own authority and dignity." Parliamentary privilege can therefore be claimed by Members individually or by the House collectively.

The rule for when parliamentary privilege applies is that it cannot exceed the powers, privileges and immunities of the imperial parliament as it stood in 1867, when the first constitution was written.

Individual parliamentary privileges include:

1. Freedom of speech
2. Freedom from arrest in civil action
3. Exemption from jury duty
4. Exemption from appearing as a witness
5. Freedom from obstruction, interference, intimidation and molestation

Collective parliamentary privileges include:

1. Power to discipline
2. Regulation of the House's internal affairs
3. Management of employees
4. Authority to maintain the attendance and service of Members
5. Right to institute inquiries and to call witnesses and demand papers
6. Right to administer oaths to witnesses
7. Right to publish papers containing defamatory material

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_privilege

Bad one

Anything for 2019 support

Atiku2019:
Anything for 2019 support

This is beyond 2019. This is a law that will outlive Buhari, Saraki, Dogara and the present crop of lawmakers.
This is a law that will deepen democracy in Nigeria.
Just like the judiciary, the lawmakers now have some form of immunity in the course of discharging their duties.

Just look at what these thieves that call themselves lawmakers have been struggling for. Yet some grunting nonentities would be licking their smelly crouches because they think doing so hurts Buhari.

Buhari is a huge disappointment.

No wonder why they have been pampering issues with the president.

Hope that now they have the immunity, they can step up their actions and act like representatives of the masses.

Those law can't benefit the masses or take a way their suffering.

Corrinthians:
Just look at what these thieves that call themselves lawmakers have been struggling for. Yet some grunting nonentities would be licking their smelly crouches because they think doing so hurts Buhari.

Buhari is a huge disappointment.

omenkadies we know it's you.

you can come out frm the bush where you are hiding now. the fulani herdsmen have temporarily ceased fire

PMB working for a better Nigeria

capatainrambo:
[s]omenkadies we know it's you.

you can come out frm the bush where you are hiding now. the fulani herdsmen have temporarily ceased fire[/s]

Nnamdiot Cownu we know it is you.

You can come out of the mud where you are hiding now. The python has temporarily stopped dancing.

Nice 1, Mr President.

capatainrambo:
myndM44 pls bring rope let's tie this one. he is here derailing this beautiful thread

Caward. I thought you were ready to rumble. Why calling on the mods?

Brink that back let me teach you some hard lesson son.

Corrinthians:
Caward. I thought you were ready to rumble. Why calling on the mods?

Brink that back let me teach you some hard lesson son.

where will you teach the lesson from?

or don't you know you are an iDP already?
useless keyboard warrior that is typing from one bush in benue
omenka you are a refugee

sorry

deji17:


This is beyond 2019. This is a law that will outlive Buhari, Saraki, Dogara and the present crop of lawmakers.
This is a law that will deepen democracy in Nigeria.
Just like the judiciary, the lawmakers now have some form of immunity in the course of discharging their duties.

Which duties are they discharging?

the only thing apc zombies do is lick bubu's arse online

just look at the refugee omenka typing from his bush hideout.
all he does is chant cownu from dawn till dust. as if cownu chased him away from his house to his recent abode(benue forest)


even aisha has come out to say No
Zahra too
these re family members of pmb


but one useless refugee hiding inside benue forest will be writing epistles for him

omenka it's a new year your mumu don do

UncleJudax:

Which duties are they discharging?

Making laws for Nigeria and putting the executive in checks. Where there is no law, there is no sin.
We have to look beyond the current occupants of the National assembly and executive. Once the foundation is solid, it is easier to build on it.

UncleJudax:

Which duties are they discharging?

did you watch the video of the senator from bauchi?

he alleged that dss was looking for him because of his stance on buharis govt



that's very bad.

corruption

I can bet anything, Buhari didn't read that bill before signing. Now how will he disturb Saraki again ?

RZArecta2:
I can bet anything, Buhari didn't read that bill before signing. Now how will he disturb Saraki again ?

The law does not prohibit the Senate President or any other lawmaker from being prosecuted for criminal cases such as corruption..

Stupid!

If Buhari wins 2019 I'll trek from Abuja to New York

amadioha is angry with Buhari

Baba the Baba

[img]https://im-01./mz.gif[/img]

I hope our law makers will not misuse this power, they should use this law in a way that will benefit the country and it's populace at large.

if this nigga should comeback in 2019, all those ranting and complaining about the economy should bury their heads in shame, for they are eternal bastards.