Buhari assents to Police Trust Fund, 8 other bills
By Tunde Opalana, Abuja
Officers and men of the police are in for a better deal as the legislative bill aimed at improving their general welfare, adequate capacity development and acquisition of state of the art equipment has been assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Nigeria Police Trust Fund (Establishment) Bill 2019 and eight others were assented to by the President.
Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing the media at the National Assembly in Abuja.
The bill provides for funding from sources which include an amount constituting 0.05 per cent of the total revenue accruing to the federation account, a levy of 0.05 per cent of the net profit of companies operating in Nigeria, any take-off grant and special intervention fund as may be provided by the federal, state and local governments.
The fund is to be listed for meeting the training and re-training needs of the personnel of the police and its auxiliary staff within and outside Nigeria, for the purchase of equipment, machines including operating vehicles for the police, for the construction of police stations, provision of living facilities and to finance the procurement of books, instructional materials, training equipment for use at police colleges among others.
Other bills assented to by the President are the Nigeria Natural Medicine Establishment Act, the FCT Management Board and Health Insurance, Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Defence Bill and the Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria Bill.
Also assented to are the National Institute of Construction Technology and Management (Establishment) bill, National Agricultural Seed Council bill; Agriculture Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund (Amendment) bill and the FCT Primary Healthcare Board bill.
The bills rejected by the President were the Adeyemi Federal University of Education (Establishment) Bill, Federal University of Education, Kano, Bill, Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education Bill, Federal University of Education, Zaria, Bill and National Security Agencies Protection of Officers Identity Bill.
Other rejected bills include, the Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency Bill, Environmental Managers Registration Council of Nigeria Bill, Industrial Development Income Tax Act Amendment Bill and Defence Research and Development Bureau Bill.
The President similarly rejected the Animal Diseases Control Bill, Good Samaritans Bill, Chattered Institute of Directors of Nigeria Bill, National Institute of Hospitality and Tourism Establishment Bill and Federal University of Wukari (Establishment) Bill.
Also rejected were the Warehouse Receipt and other related Matters Bill, Federal Capital Territory Health Insurance Agency Bill, Nigeria Automotive Industry Development Plant Fiscal Incentive and Guarantees Bill and Nigerian Film Commission Bill and Proceeds of Crime Bill.
Enang however, said that there were other bills passed by the eighth Assembly which were still being considered by President Buhari, adding that the President’s decision on those bills would be conveyed to the public in due course.
