Transport Bill fails again as Buhari declines assent

By Godfrey Bivbere & Christiana Moneke

The proposed National Transport Commission, NTC, has failed for the second time in getting presidential approval.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Vanguard at the 16th Maritime Seminar for Judges in Abuja, Chairman of the House Committee on Ports and Harbours, Garba Datti Muhammad, said the National Assembly had finished its work on the Bill but lamented that the President did not assent, noting that the time frame for the assent has lapsed.

He explained that the alternative is for the bill to be represented by the next Legislature regime for consideration.

He stated: “We started it in the last Assembly. I think it was resubmitted when we came in. We passed it and there was concurrence by the Senate, it is for the president to assent to it which he has not assented to yet and the time has elapsed.

“Maybe we have to resubmit it again in the next House, the agencies that are affected have to be more active also, it is the responsibility of whoever is the Minister in charge to convince the President to sign the Bill because of its importance.”

On the responsibility of his Committee, he said “As a committee, we have oversight on the Maritime sector, the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, the Nigerian Shippers Council, NSC, the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding Practice in Nigeria, CRFFN and the Ministry of Transportation itself.

“So I think we have been working closely. We also work whenever there is any amendment to the Act establishing these institutions or agencies, they reach out to us, we look at it, and at times we go through the Acts and see where there are some lacunas then we will adjust.”