Buhari declines assent to two transport bills

President Muhammadu Buhari has declined assent to two bills in the
transport sector.

NAN reports that they are the National Transport Commission Bill 2018
and the Federal Roads Authority (Establishment) Bill 2018.

Buhari's decision came in a letter to the National Assembly leadership
read by the President of the Senate, Sen. Bukola Saraki, during
plenary on Wednesday.

He said some sections of the National Transport Commission Bill
contained safety regulations that would duplicate the functions of
existing transport agencies.

He said, "Safety regulatory provisions enshrined in some sections of
the bill which are technical in nature fall within the purview of
central legislation implemented by agencies like NIMASA (Nigeria
Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), NPA (Nigeria Ports
Authority (NPA) and therefore should be expunged from the bill.

"Two, the percentage of the amount to be retained by the agency from
royalties collected under section 19 (2)(d) should be reduced from 10
to five per cent.

"Section 12 (9)(2)(d) stipulates that a portion of the proceeds from
royalties collected by the authority empowered to collect royalties
from transport service providers should not exceed 10 per cent which
is collected by service providers and concessionaires.

"Three, section 19 (2)(f) which stipulates charge of three per cent
freight tariff stabilisation fee on all imports and exports out of
Nigeria including wet and dry cargoes should be amended and reduced
from three per cent to one per cent.

"This is what is currently contained in the Nigerian Shippers Council
legislation," he said.

On the Federal Roads Authority (Establishment) Bill 2018, the
president said the proposed road sector regulator would usurp the
supervisory power of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing.

The president pointed out that the proposed agency would also render
the "entire technical workforce of the supervisory ministry
redundant".

"The establishment of the road sector regulator as a separate and
distinctive body in Part 6 of the bill is capable of rendering the
entire technical workforce of the supervisory ministry redundant.

"The supervisory power of the ministry over the road sector would be
taken over by the road sector regulator and will leave the ministry
without the power to exercise its supervisory role.

"I feel the ministry would have little or no desirable role to play in
the road sector.

"This is because ownership and management of roads would be vested in
the road sector regulator such that the supervisory powers would be
exercised by it, leaving the ministry without any clear statutory
function," Buhari argued.