The Senate has taken a major step to give legal backing to the Project Development Agency (PRODA) by passing the bill to that effect for seconding.
The bill, sponsored by Senator Frank Ibezim, representing Imo North on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), seeks to give Project Development Agency, Enugu State, legal backing to function optimally.
The agency which was established in 1971 by the defunct East Central State was charged with the broad function of generating and catalyzing industrialisaiton by carrying out industrial research from the laboratory stage to the pilot plant stage, and by rendering consultancy services to government, industry and individuals.
Speaking on the objective of the bill, Ibezim said when and if PRODA gets the legal backing it requires, it would be very effective to carry out the right functions in research and development in the South-East where they have lots of need to showcase natural products.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has directed the Clerk to the National Assembly (CAN) to transmit the 35 bills that have so far met the requirement of the provisions of Section 9(2) of the constitution to Mr. President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federation for assent in line with the provisions of the Acts Authentication Act.
It also urged the following state Houses of Assembly: Gombe, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kwara, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, and Zamfara; that are yet to forward their resolution on the bills to do so in fulfillment of their constituently imposed legislative obligation to the constitution amendment process.
The directive was consequent upon a motion by the Chairman of the Committee on Rules and Business, Rep. Abubakar Fulata and seventy others, which was seconded by Rep. Sani Bala.
Presenting the motion, Fulata noted that “Section 9(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) provides that an Act to alter the provisions of the constitution can be passed only when it is supported by 2/3 majority of members of the House of Representatives and the Senate and approved by the 24 state Houses of Assembly”.
