Shola Oyeyipo in Abuja
Following the embarrassing situation created by the Process and Industrial Developments (P&ID) Limited’s $9.6 billion judgment debt against Nigeria, the House of Representatives has adopted a motion to compel the Presidency pesent all signed treaties to the National Assembly within 30 days for domestication.
The call followed the adoption of a motion on the transmission of all treaties by federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) moved by Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai.
President Muhammadu Buhari was also urged to ensure early engagement and involvement of the National Assembly in the negotiation team of any treaty and international agreement to which Nigeria is interested.
The lawmakers therefore urged President Buhari to ensure that all signed treaties and other international agreements are initiated and presented to the National Assembly as an Executive Bill and to stop a counterpart funding of agreements and protocols with financial implications until such agreements and protocols are domesticated by the parliament.
The House also mandated its Committee on Treaties, Protocol and Agreements to, as a matter of urgency, commence a review of all treaties, agreements and protocols signed and ratified by Nigeria.
All federal MDAs are also directed to transmit all signed, ratified and domesticated treaties and other international agreements, both bilateral and multilateral to the Register of Treaties in the Federal Ministry of Justice and to the National Assembly within two weeks;
The Registrar of Treaties in the Federal Ministry of Justice was also mandated to transmit the list of all ratified and domesticated treaties to the National Assembly within three weeks for further legislative action.
