Four notable bills passed by the 8th Senate

As the 8th National Assembly wraps up their four-year tenure of legislative duties, here are four notable bills the Red Chamber passed since its inauguration in 2015.

National Minimum Wage Bill
After several deliberations, protest and negotiation between National Labour Congress and government for about two years, the Senate passed the N30, 000 minimum wage bill.

Subsequently, President Muhammadu Buhari in April signed the bill into law. The government said the law has come into effect since April 18.

Disability Bill
The bill, which aims to curb the discrimination against persons with disabilities, was passed in 2016. The bill was signed into law on by President Muhammadu Buhari on January 23rd 2019.

The disability Act prohibits all forms of discrimination on the ground of disability and imposes fine of N1, 000, 000 for corporate bodies and N100,000 for individuals or a term of six months imprisonment for violation.

Not Too Young To Run Bill
Nursing the aspiration to run for an elective position is largely regarded as an area to avoid for young persons in Nigeria. But the Not Too Young To Run bill sought to abolish the age barrier restricting youthful participation in politics.

The 1999 constitution says that persons vying for the office of the president have to be at least 40 years old, while senators and state governors are at ag 35 and above.

The bill, signed to law by Buhari reduced the minimum age for presidential candidates from 40 to 35, and state governors and senators from 35 to 30. The age limit for state assembly was cut to 25.

Police Reform Bill
The Police Reform Bill was proposed as an Act of the National Assembly on 30th May 2018 and was passed by the Senate on 17th April 2019. Although the bill yet signed into law, the proposed police reform bill would whittle down the powers of the President to appoint and remove the Inspector General of Police (IGP) as well as tenure elongation for the top police officer.