Senate considers bills to tackle poverty, stop intellectual property theft

Date: 2022-07-27

The Senate, Tuesday, considered two critical bills seeking to tackle poverty and put a stop to intellectual property theft in the country.

One of the bills provides for the establishment of the National Poverty Alleviation Management Commission; while the other seeks to re-enact the Patent and Design Act 2021 to revise the existing intellectual property law to prohibit theft.

Both bills scaled second reading during plenary.

The bill to establish the National Poverty Alleviation Management Commission seeks to empower the Commission to coordinate and regulate all forms of poverty alleviation funds.

The bill was sponsored by Senator Kabir Abdullahi Barkiya (APC – Katsina Central).

Leading debate on the general principles of the bill, Barkiya said its passage and assent into law, “will have tremendous and vital impact on the reduction of poverty level, ravaging the majority of citizens in the country.”

According to the lawmaker, this includes the poor and their families who find it difficult to feed themselves.

He explained that the proper and efficient management of poverty alleviation funds through sufficient regulation would drastically cut-down on the poverty rate in Nigeria.

“It is imperative to note, that the passage of this bill will effectively and efficiently regulate all forms of funds provided to alleviate poverty in the land, especially to remedy the suffering of our citizens.

“This aforementioned fund could be granted by the government, or international and local donations in order to minimise the high level of hardship that people go through within the country”, the lawmaker said.

Contributing to the debate, Senator Christopher Ekpenyong (PDP – Akwa-Ibom North West), described the bill as “bi-partisan”.

He lamented that resources allocated for poverty alleviation most times do not get to the poor as a result of mismanagement.

He observed that having a Commission in place as intended by the bill would see to the realisation of the objectives of the federal government in the aspect of poverty reduction.

On his part, Senator Ibrahim Gobir (APC – Sokoto East) recalled that a similar bill was passed under the eighth senate but failed to receive presidential assent.

He, therefore, advised the President to sign the bill into law, adding that putting in place management models to determine the level of impact made through programmes targeted at poverty alleviation would, to a large extent, compliment the bill.

The bill after consideration was referred by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, to the Committee on Poverty Alleviation for further inputs.

The Committee was given four weeks to report back to the Senate in plenary.

In a related development, another bill seeking to review the nation's intellectual property law scaled second reading on Tuesday.

The bill titled, “Patent and Design Act 2004 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2021, was sponsored by Senator Ibikunle Amosun (APC – Ogun Central).

According to him, the bill seeks to protect intellectual property rights by setting up a framework for civil/judicial procedures.

He added that upon passage and assent into law, same would give Nigeria the opportunity as a member of the International Union for the protection of industrial property, to secure maximum benefits from being part to the Patent Co-operation Treaty, 1970, to which it is a signatory.

The bill after consideration was referred by the Senate President to the Committee on Trade and Investment.

The Committee was also given four weeks to report back to the chamber in plenary.

Meanwhile, a third bill seeking to amend the Federal High Court Act 2004, to increase the number of Judges of the Federal High Court from 100 to 172; and Repeal the Federal High Court (Amendment) Act 2013 was stepped down.

The bill was stepped down due to the absence of its sponsor, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (APC – Delta Central), during plenary.

However, a fourth bill to amend the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPADEC) Act 2010, also scaled second reading.

The bill which was sponsored by Senator Sadiq Umar (APC – Kwara North), was referred to the Committee on Power after consideration.

The Committee has four weeks to turn in its report.

Source

 


Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Adanla-Irese     Zaratu Umar     Temitope Ogunbanke     Pategi     Abdulwahab Oba     Saliu Tunde Bello     Bisi Kristien     Oladipo Akanmu Tolani     Aisha Abodunrin Ibrahim     Chief Imam Of Omu-Aran     Hamid Bobboyi     Adedeji Onimago     Dele Belgore     Najim Yaasin     IEDPU     James Ayeni     Isiaka Yusuf     Moro     Lateef Fagbemi     Bola Tinubu     Oba Abdulraheem     Mustapha Akanbi     Oja-Oba     COEASU     Mopelola Abdulmaliq-Bashir     Nigerian Correctional Service     Suleiman Idris     Raliat AbdulRazaq     Akeem Olatunji     VADA     Bola Ahmed Tinubu     Gwanara     Baruten     Muhammad Yahya     Tosin Saraki     Yoonus Kola Olatinwo     Dan Masanin     Adesoye     Zulu Gambari     Saad Belgore     Aliyu Muyideen     Sheu Ndanusa Usman     Ado Bayero     Eghe Igbinehin     Aasiyat Bello Oyedepo     Amos Justus Sayo     Sodiya     Umar Sanda Yusuf     Micheal Imodu-Ganmo Road     Abdulrasaq Alaro     IDPU     Lithium Deposit     Abdulwaheed Musa     Adewuyi Funmilayo     Cornelius Adebayo     Lanre Olosunde     Turaki Of Ilorin     Umar Ayinla Saro     Ibrahim Kayode Adeyemi     Kayode Laro     Kwara Central     Gbenga Awoyale     Memunat Monsuma     Stephen Fasakin     Olatunde Jare     Binta Abubakar-Mora     Marufat Oladosu     Budo Egba     Doyin Agbamu     Wahab Egbewole     Farouk Salim     Oyedepo     Busari Alabi Alausa     Baba-Isale     QuickWin     Bureau Of Lands     Medinat Folorunsho Salman    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Oluranti Idowu     Buari Edun     Biliaminu Aliu     Ilofa     Jimoh Bashir     Admiralty Villa     Osuwa     Saliu Tunde Bello     Twitter     Sardauna     Patience Jonathan     Sanitation Exercise     AGM Professional Services     Kehinde Boyede     Bashir Adigun     Aliyu Kora-Sabi     Coronavirus     Olawuyi     Ayinke Saka     Ilorin Water Reticulation     General Tunde Idiagbon International Airport     Pakata Patriots     Toyin Falola     Kazeem Gbolagade     Ilorin West     Pategi     KWAFFA     Okin Malt     Bursary     Salaudeen Oyewale     Rice Farmers Association Of Nigeria     TVC Female National Debate     Kamaldeen Ajibade     Ijagbo Health Centre     Ita-Ore     Monkey Pox     Abdullahi Adisa Akodudu     Talaka Parapo     Oko     Muhammed Aliyu     Musa Aibinu     Abdulraheem Olesin     Kwara     AbdulRauf Keji     Waziri Yakubu Gobir     Yetunde Balogun     Oluronke Adeyemi     Mike Omotosho     Simon Sayomi     Abdullahi Saadudeen Alikinla     Olabanji Orilonishe     Laolu Saraki     Michael Ologundea     Ahmed Bayero     Harrison Osauwagboe     Just Law Forum     Oke-Oyi     Bayo Ajia     ASUU     Adamu Attah     Matthew Babaoye     Gbugbu International Market     Yusuf Aiyedun     School Of Nursing     Ethical College     Jimba Babatunde     Quarry Royal Valley     Olugbense     SARS     Illyasu Abdullahi     Makama Of Ilorin     Tescom.kwarastate.gov.ng     SUBEB     Monthly Sanitation     KWIRS     Abubakar Ndakene     CCB