Four Bills Signed By Tinubu Into Law In Two Weeks

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signed four bills signed into law upon his assumption of office two weeks ago.

In his inaugural address on May 29, Tinubu promised to improve on the achievements of his predecessor, former President Muhammadu Buhari.

He also highlighted a number of changes that Nigerians should expect to see in the coming weeks.

Here are four bills Tinubu has assented to since the start of his administration

JUDICIAL OFFICERS ACT

On June 8, President Tinubu signed the bill titled ‘Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (fifth altercation) (No.37), 2023’ into law.

Naija News reports that the bill passed by the 9th National Assembly was the first to be signed into law by the President.

The law harmonises the retirement age for judges and pegs it at 70 years.

The legislation also ensured uniformity in the pension rights of judicial officers of “superior courts of record” specified in Section 6(5) of the 1999 constitution (as amended).

The courts listed in section 6(5) are the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Federal High Court, High Court of Abuja, States High Courts, Sharia Court of Appeal, National Industrial Court, and Customary Courts of Appeal, among others.

ELECTRICITY ACT

On June 9, Tinubu signed the bill which empowers states, companies and individuals to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity.

The new electricity law repeals the Electricity and Power Sector Reform Act of 2005 and consolidates the laws relating to the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

The legislation provides an omnibus and institutional framework for the post-privatisation phase of Nigeria’s power sector in the areas of generation, transmission, distribution, supply, trading, and general use of electricity.

The primary objective is to create a comprehensive legal and institutional framework to guide the operation of a privatised, contract, and rule-based competitive electricity market in Nigeria.

The legislation also provides a framework for the improvement of access to electricity in rural, unserved, underserved, peri-urban, and urban areas through the use of conventional sources and renewable energy.

Under the law, states would be able to issue licences to private investors who have the ability to operate mini-grids and power plants, but such licences would not apply to the distribution of electricity between states or internationally.

STUDENT LOAN ACT

President Tinubu, on June 12, signed the Student Laon Bill into law that will facilitate the provision of financial assistance to Nigerian students in tertiary institutions.

The Act allows students to access interest-free loans from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.

According to the act, all students who have secured admission into any public Nigerian university, polytechnic, college of education, or any technical and vocational education and training (TVET) school can apply for the loan.

The act stipulates that the student’s income or family’s income must be less than N500,000 per annum to be qualified for the loan.

According to the legislation, employers of successful applicants must deduct the loan from their salaries after they must have completed their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme.

On Wednesday, the Federal Government said it was working out modalities to begin the disbursement of the loans from September.

DATA PROTECTION ACT

President Tinubu signed the Data Protection Bill into law on Wednesday, June 14

The bill now known as the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 gives backing to the establishment of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission and replaces the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB) established by former President Muhammadu Buhari in February 2022.

The legislation empowers Nigerians to seek redress in the event of a data breach.

The law stipulates that citizens’ personal data should be processed in a fair, lawful and accountable manner.

The NDPC will be led by a National Commissioner with the responsibility of regulating the processing of personal information.