Skip to main content

Why I can’t assent State of the Nation Address Bill – Jonathan

By

A cold war appears to be brewing again, between the Presidency and the National Assembly following President Goodluck Jonathan’s outright refusal to assent the State of the Nation Address Bill, passed by the National Assembly on March 13, 2012, and forwarded to him for assent.

The president, in a letter Tuesday, to the legislature, dated June 10, 2013, through the Senate President, David Mark, explained that his action was based on the grounds that the proposed law was a duplication of the extant law as contained in the 1999 Constitution.

Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan

He said the bill which was particularly transmitted to him on May22, 2013 by the Clerk of the National Assembly for assent amounted to what he referred to as “a duplication of Section 67 of the Constitution”.

Both chambers of the National Assembly passed the State of the Nation Address Bill with the Senate passing it on March 13, 2013 having been earlier treated in the same manner by the House of Representatives.

The bill provides for an annual state of the nation address by the President to be delivered to a joint sitting of the National Assembly on the first legislative day of July of every year.

President Jonathan explained that the 1999 Constitution has already given him the mandate to meet with a joint session of the National Assembly to deliver an address on national affairs or policy of government which he noted, were of national importance.

The president frowned at some sections of the bill which empowered the National Assembly to summon the President in the case of his failure to deliver the address on the specified date, saying it was coercive.

“He said “in view of the express provisions of Section 67 above, I am of the considered opinion that the 1999 Constitution has made ample provision for kind of address contemplated by the Bill”, adding, “It would, therefore, amount to a duplication to enact legislation on the same subject matter”.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DO YOU WANT TO BECOME A MASON IN NIGERIA

By
 After all i have said about this fraternity if you are still interested in becoming a mason there are just simply ways in which you can do that, but inspite of my post i am neither encouraging nor discouraging you all i am doing is just to let you know more about this frat and there's more to come about those who have joined, the so called stars like jay-z, kanye west etc i guess its just 7 simple ways to join and off you go  Are there things you want to accomplish in your life? Are there ways you want to enrich yourself? Do you enjoy being with people you like and respect? As a Freemason, you’ll find friendship and fraternity. You’ll develop life skills like self-confidence, leadership, and effective communication. You’ll learn to work as part of a team  and to better yourself as you help others. Think about taking the first step into becoming a Mason. It is widely thought that one must be invited to become a Freemason or that Freemasonry is so exclusive as to be b...
240 comments
Read more

President Goodluck Jonathan Sets-Up Amnesty Committee For Boko-Haram

By
President Goodluck Jonathan has approved the constitution of a Presidential Committee to "constructively engage key members of Boko Haram and define a comprehensive and workable framework for resolving the crisis of insecurity in the country." Announcing the setting up of the committee, a statement by Dr Reuben Abati, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity stated that the committee's terms of reference will include: -Developing a framework for the granting of amnesty -Setting up of a framework through which disarmament could take place within a 60-day time frame -Development of a comprehensive victims' support programme -Development of mechanisms to address the underlying causes of insurgencies that will help to prevent future occurrences. The committee is made up of the following Nigerians: Committee on dialogue and peaceful resolution of security challenges in the north 1.Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, Minister of Special Duties - Chairman 2....
Post a Comment
Read more