The Senate, on Wednesday, passed the bill seeking to establish a Nigerian Maritime Security Trust Fund (NMSTF), in concurrence with the House of Representatives.
The Senate, in passing the bill, amended Clause 14(1) by removing the recommendation of the supervising Minister in the appointment of the Executive Secretary of the Fund, giving the President the powers to unilaterally do so.
The legislation is titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to Establish the Nigerian Maritime Security Trust Fund for the Purpose of Training, Provision of Security Equipment and Related Facilities, Enhance the Skills of the Personnel of the Nigerian Navy; and for Related Matters.’
Chairman of the conference committee on the bill, Senator Danjuma Goje, who is also the Chairman of Senate Committee on Marine Transport, noted that the Senate’s version of the bill, which stipulates that the appointment of the Executive Secretary should be made without recourse to recommendation of the Minister, was adopted at the conference committee.
Goje said, “In the course of the deliberations, it was observed by the conference committee that the only area of difference in the two versions of the bill, as passed by the respective chambers, exists in Clause 14 of the bill, which deals with the appointment of the Executive Secretary and other staff of the Trust Fund.
“Whilst the House of Representatives version of the bill provides Clause 14(1) that appointment of the Executive Secretary of the Trust Fund Shall be made by Mr President on the recommendation of the Minister, the Senate version provides that such appointment should be made without recourse to the recommendation of the Minister charged with the responsibility for Defence.
“After extensive deliberations on this area of difference, the conference committee adopted the Senate version. They are of the view that such sensitive appointment should be left at the discretion of Mr. President in line with similar appointment on the subject matter.”
The Nigerian Maritime Security Trust Fund (Establishment) Bill 2021 was passed by the House of Representatives on September 28, 2021.
Thereafter, the bill was transmitted to the Senate for concurrence. The Senate concurred to the passage of the bill by passing it on December 1, 2021 with a slight modification.
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