House of Representatives has rejected a bill seeking to transfer drugs and poisons from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list
The House of Representatives has rejected a bill seeking to transfer drugs and poisons from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list to ensure effective management of drugs and poison in the country.
Sponsored by Abbas Tajudeen, the new law is titled: ”A Bill for an Act to Alter the Second Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) to Transfer Drugs and Poisons from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List.
However, the prospect of the bill making further legislative progress was thwarted on Thursday at plenary as a majority of lawmakers voted against it during debate on its general principles for second reading.
Speaking against the Bill, Nicholas Ossai, argued that the amendment is unnecessary, as drug and poison should be nationalistic in approach.
Ossai said: ”I believe that as it is contained in the Exclusive List should be allowed because we talking issue of drugs, we are not talking of lesser issues that state Houses of Assembly can deal with. I will for the first time, disagree with my friend (Tajudeen) on this critical issue; that issue of drugs should be left with the federal and the National Assembly to look at it at all times.
”I should not be part of the functions that should be devolved to the states because every nation sets a standard on the issue of drugs and when we begin to give it to the states, there will proliferation of laws and different standards on drugs all over the country.”
On the other hand, Deputy Minority Leader, Toby Okechukwu, supported the Bill saying the Federal Government needs to shed some weight and leave some responsibility, and urged members to let the Bill pass for second reading, and subject it to the scrutiny of professionals at the public hearing.
Similarly, the House Leader, Ado Doguwa said: ”the issue of drug has been a malaise. The objective of the bill should not be undermined, what the Bill is seeking is a win-win situation and should be passed to strengthen effective management of drugs and poison in this country.”
But when the Bill was put to a voice vote by the Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase who presided over the session, it was rejected by a majority of the lawmakers who answered with resounding – negative response.
