A legislative agenda for new parliament
(Obi Nwakanma)





(1) [b]A review of the Military Act to expand Nigeria’s military capabilities and the mission of the Nigerian Armed Forces given strategic developments in the Gulf of Guinea as well as the upper and lower Sahel as they pertain to Nigeria’s national interest. [/b]Central elements to this act must be a bill for mandatory military service for Nigerians from age 19-35 – a national reserve that will be at the heart of a more productive military that could absorb all the technical capacities necessary for its new role

(2) A National Health Act modeled after the National Health Services system of the UK. Access to public health requires a new funding regime and a general improvement in the national health infrastructure.

(3) A review of the Nigerian Railways Act to allow for internal linkages and expansion of the National Rail stock, and for greater regional investor participation in Rail transport development.

(4) A parliamentary or National Assemblies Commission for the reform of the Nigerian Civil Service leading ultimately to a new Federal Civil Service Act.It is a broken service and it is about time we recognized that without a highly-selective and efficient service, Nigeria will continue to be mired in the morass of corruption and inefficiency. The Civil Service Act must hold for merit-based appointments into the administrative cadre up to 90 per cent  and reserve 10 per cent only for “federal character” requirements.

(5) An Anti-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity Act that will make it criminal to discriminate against Nigerians in the workplace, in the public space, on jobs and access to government contracts, on housing and so on, irrespective of religion or ethnicity.

(6) A Police Act to reform the Nigerian police services and take into account Nigerian federal status.

(7) Revisit and craft a new Tax and Revenue Law for Nigeria to reflect its federal status. I think it is time to stop the funding of local governments from the federation accounts. But above all, I think it is time to keep the executive branch honest.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/05/a-legislative-agenda-for-new-parliament/[b]

Okay, I singled out PDP here because they control the national assembly hence even if the opposition proposes these, they may hit the wall if PDP fails to support it.

The gist is, can this new national assembly enact these critical national reforms?