House Steps down Bill Seeking to Allow States Establish Seaports

Udora Orizu

The House of Representatives at the plenary yesterday stepped down a bill seeking to alter the constitution to remove item 36 (maritime shipping and navigation) from the exclusive legislative list and insert it on the concurrent legislative list to allow states establish seaports without the permission of the federal government.

The legislation, which was presented for second reading is sponsored by Hon. Onofiok Luke (PDP Akwa Ibom).

Leading the debate, Luke said the bill seeks to alter the second schedule to the Principal Act by deleting item 36 from the exclusive legislative list and inserting after item 32 on the concurrent legislative list, new items 33, 34 to state as follows: “A House of Assembly may make laws for the state with respect to maritime shipping and navigation, including shipping and navigation on tidal waters.

“Shipping and navigation on the River Niger and its tributaries, and on any such other inland waterway not designated by the National Assembly to be an international waterway, lighthouses, lightships, beacons and other provisions for the safety of shipping and navigation; such ports not being federal ports (including the constitution and powers of port authorities for state ports).”

In his contribution, the Chairman of the Navy Committee, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi (APC Plateau), was of the view that with the current security situation, it’s better the ports are in the hands of the federal government.

He appealed to the sponsor to step down the bill for further consultations