RNV Legislative Prioritiesraisingnewvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/RNV-Legislative-Priorities.pdfBoost intra-state trade & international trade Increase government revenue for

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RAISING NEW VOICES - LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

SECTORALREFORMS

STRATEGY 1: AMENDMENT OF THE LAND USE ACT:

We willl mobilize National Assembly for a bill seeking to amend some sections of the Land Use Act will also be introduced thus:

Section 22 of the Act will be amended to eliminate the requirement of obtaining the consent of the Governor before a holder can alienate his right whether by assignment, mortgage, transfer of possession, sublease or otherwise. This provision makes it cumbersome for landowners to obtain credit facilities from financial institutions needed for projects, businesses and other ventures. Obtaining the Governor’s consent can cause prolonged delay in economic transactions, encourage corruption in a bid to evade the delay and bureaucratic bottlenecks surrounding the process, and foist untold financial burden on businesses.

Section 29 will be amended to make compensation payable not only for unexhausted improvements on the land, but also for loss of the land itself as a store of value together with the improvements. Compensation should also be commensurate with the current market value of the land and the improvements therein.

Section 36(5) which forbids the alienation of Agricultural land in rural areas and Section 36(6) which provides for the penalty for such alienation should be repelled to allow for the alienation of such land and/or the use of such land as security to obtain loans for business and agricultural development.

SECTORAL REFORMS ECONOMY

Broad Sectoral Goals:The above amendments would encourage Lenders and financial institutions to lend to businesses as the security of their funds would be better guaranteed in real property. This will in turn stimulate economic development. It is also important to note that Housing which is a key component of economic development is very much dependent on the laws governing real property. Nigeria’s housing deficit will continue to worsen except the Land Use Act is amended as above.

Impact Analysis:

a. Under the status quo, individual rights and interests in land is curtailed and limited only to right of occupancy and the fact that a bare and undeveloped land under the Act bears no economic value as no compensation is paid for its acquisition by the state. The value of the land can be greater than the value of the development on the land in most high end locations. It is therefore not right to ignore the value of the land and pay compensations only on the land.

With the amendment of the Act to provide for the payment of compensation for compulsory acquisition of bare land, Land would now be appreciated for its actual value and bare land can now be used as collateral for loans either to develop the land or for other businesses. This would improve the value of land as a factor of production and thus a tool for wealth creation.

b. The amendment of the provision of the Act which provides that rural agricultural land is inalienable and cannot be used as collateral to obtain loan would result in the following;

i. Allowing for the alienation of rural agricultural land would allow the owners of such land to sell rural land to raise capital for economic development.

ii. It would also make it less cumbersome for individuals to purchase land for agricultural development without the need to seek governor’s consent. This will eliminate the bottlenecks and uncertainties associated with such an application.

iii. The possibility of the use of such land as security to obtain loan would reaffirm the status of such land as a factor of production while ensuring that the capital obtainable from financial institutions is available for economic activities.

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Boost intra-state trade & international trade

Increase government revenue for public sector spending to inflate the economy and create jobs by broadening the tax net and lowering (actually halving) the current CIT tax rate for all corporate cadres - with a maximum of 15% CIT cap for the highest cadre.

Incentivize 36 states to safely generate more IGR instead of running cap in hand to federal government monthly.

Ensure equitable distribution of access to capital for 180m Nigerians. Currently only 350 Nigerians owe banks N5.4trillion debt. In 2018, 98.5% of Nigerians could not access bank loans for business or other purposes.

STRATEGY 1: AMENDMENT OF THE LAND USE ACT:

We willl mobilize National Assembly for a bill seeking to amend some sections of the Land Use Act will also be introduced thus:

Section 22 of the Act will be amended to eliminate the requirement of obtaining the consent of the Governor before a holder can alienate his right whether by assignment, mortgage, transfer of possession, sublease or otherwise. This provision makes it cumbersome for landowners to obtain credit facilities from financial institutions needed for projects, businesses and other ventures. Obtaining the Governor’s consent can cause prolonged delay in economic transactions, encourage corruption in a bid to evade the delay and bureaucratic bottlenecks surrounding the process, and foist untold financial burden on businesses.

Section 29 will be amended to make compensation payable not only for unexhausted improvements on the land, but also for loss of the land itself as a store of value together with the improvements. Compensation should also be commensurate with the current market value of the land and the improvements therein.

Section 36(5) which forbids the alienation of Agricultural land in rural areas and Section 36(6) which provides for the penalty for such alienation should be repelled to allow for the alienation of such land and/or the use of such land as security to obtain loans for business and agricultural development.

The above amendments would encourage Lenders and financial institutions to lend to businesses as the security of their funds would be better guaranteed in real property. This will in turn stimulate economic development. It is also important to note that Housing which is a key component of economic development is very much dependent on the laws governing real property. Nigeria’s housing deficit will continue to worsen except the Land Use Act is amended as above.

Impact Analysis:

a. Under the status quo, individual rights and interests in land is curtailed and limited only to right of occupancy and the fact that a bare and undeveloped land under the Act bears no economic value as no compensation is paid for its acquisition by the state. The value of the land can be greater than the value of the development on the land in most high end locations. It is therefore not right to ignore the value of the land and pay compensations only on the land.

With the amendment of the Act to provide for the payment of compensation for compulsory acquisition of bare land, Land would now be appreciated for its actual value and bare land can now be used as collateral for loans either to develop the land or for other businesses. This would improve the value of land as a factor of production and thus a tool for wealth creation.

b. The amendment of the provision of the Act which provides that rural agricultural land is inalienable and cannot be used as collateral to obtain loan would result in the following;

i. Allowing for the alienation of rural agricultural land would allow the owners of such land to sell rural land to raise capital for economic development.

ii. It would also make it less cumbersome for individuals to purchase land for agricultural development without the need to seek governor’s consent. This will eliminate the bottlenecks and uncertainties associated with such an application.

iii. The possibility of the use of such land as security to obtain loan would reaffirm the status of such land as a factor of production while ensuring that the capital obtainable from financial institutions is available for economic activities.


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STRATEGY 2. AMENDMENT OF THE VALUE ADDED TAX ACT

Figures for each year’s Value Added Tax recently released by the government keep exposing the contradictions in the Nigerian federation, where states that produce the wealth that sustains the country are hardly appreciated. According to the Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, Lagos State alone generates 55 per cent of the VAT collected in the country, Lagos is followed by the Federal Capital Territory, which contributes 20 per cent. This means the contribution from the remaining 35 states of the federation is just 25 per cent.

This becomes very infuriating when it comes to the sharing formula. For the month of February 2017, for instance, while Lagos which contributes 55% got N6.14 billion, reports have it that Kaduna State, whose contribution was put at mere one per cent, got N4.23 billion, just as Kano and Rivers got N1.66 billion and N1.33 billion respectively. The question then arises, how did the state with one per cent contribution end up getting more than the bigger contributors? Where is justice in such a system?

The VAT figures reveal a twisted system where some states labour to produce the wealth, while others position themselves to grab the lion’s share of what is available for sharing.

This can be corrected merely by the amendment of Section 40 (b & (c) of the Value Added Tax Act. These provisions shall be amended to provide that the percentage of revenue accruable to each state from the VAT shall be directly proportional to the percentage of VAT revenue generated from the said state.

Impact Analysis:

i. This shall encourage states to set up an enabling environment for business in their respective states. As the more economic activities going on a state will translate to more VAT from a state and thus more revenue for that state.

ii. The attendant boost in economic activities will boost internal generated revenue in respective states.

iii. This amendment will ensure that states with more population, economic and industrial activities would receive more allocation to cushion the effects on its infrastructure.


iv. It would engender a healthy competition between states to increase economic activities in order to increase economic activities and consequently increasing revenue accruable from VAT. This would ultimately lead to economic development.

STRATEGY 3: MOBILISATION FOR THE PASSAGE OF THE NIGERIAN PORTS AND HARBOUR BILL WITH SOME AMENDMENTS:

The Nigerian Ports and Harbour Bill which has passed its 3rd and final reading at the senate but awaits concurrent passage at the House of Representatives and assent of the president to become law.

We will mobilize for passage of this bill into law which will repeal the Nigerian Ports Authority Act CAP 126 LFN 2004 and see to the establishment of the Nigerian Ports and Harbours Authority. This will

Ensure the integrity, efficiency and safety of the ports based on the principles of accountability, and fair competition. Encourage private sector participation in the provision of port services and port infrastructure;

This gives legal backing to the Landlord model of ports management and administration adopted by the Government of Nigeria in 2006. The bill's objectives thus address some of the legal issues resulting from inadequate statutory provisions supporting Nigeria's so-called "ports concessions era".

Other important provisions of the Bill are found in Part VIII dealing with concessions.

The Ports Authority Bill will

• engender increased seaport capacity and productivity; • reduced congestion at ship-to-shore interface; • reduced city congestion;• lower environmental impact; • improved asset utilization for port, • road and railway transport providers, • improved transport productivity; • intermodal capacity, and • lower transport costs.

The creation of the Ports and Harbours Authority by the will be a major driver for the economic recapitalization especially with the quest to transmute from a mono-sectoral economy to a multi-sectoral economy. The Nigeria Ports and Harbours Authority Bill will not be an additional financial burden to the nation as it would inherit the Nigerian Ports Authority’s operational structure.

It is however suggested that the following changes/amendments be carried out at the House of Representatives:

i. Amend or delete the clause in the Nigerian Ports and Harbour Authority Bill which mandates the Ports and Harbour Authority to "negotiate, supervise, implement and ensure compliance with international maritime obligations under applicable international conventions and protocols. This clause is in direct conflict with Section 22 (1)(q) of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Act which requires NIMASA to carry out similar, if not more elaborate functions, one can immediately posit that conflict of functions situations are bound to occur if the NPHA Bill becomes Law in its present state.

ii. Item in the Second schedule of the Bill which entitles the newly created NPHA to only retain as many staff of the NPA as it may require should also be amended to provide for severance packages for present employees of the NPA who may be affected by the lay-offs that would most likely follow the passage of the bill into law. If this is not done, the passage of the bill would inevitably catalyse a labour crisis with the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria and even the larger organized labour.

iii. Section 33 of the bill provides that no entity shall provide in a port any marine or port service or facility unless authorized to do so by the NPHA. This provision potentially conflicts with Section 31 (1) of the National Transport Commission (NTC) Bill which entitles the proposed National Transport Commission to register and certify operators in the regulated transport sector. The section provides that no person shall operate or maintain a transport facility or provide transport services in a regulated transport sector unless the person is a holder of a Registration Certificate granted by the Commission. This provision should be amended to avoid conflict, over regulation and duplication of functions and powers.

iv. Section 34 which empowers the NPHA to grant concessions subject to laws relating to or governing concessions with the proviso that no concession exceeding five years may be granted by the authority without the

approval of the President should be amended to increase the tenure of concessions grantable without the president’s approval to at least eight years. This is because no concessionaire would make any serious capital investment for a concession with less than five years tenure and subjecting concessionaires to obtain presidential approval for concessions would inevitably lead to bottlenecks and bureaucratic logjams.

Impact Analysis:

a. This bill when passed into law would give legal backing to the reform of the ports through a landlord model fashioned after the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, the programme would enhance efficiency, reduce cost of operation and bring about efficiency especially with the coming of world-class terminal operators who took over cargo handling from NPA, among several other factors.

b. The legal backing that the passage of this bill would have on the current port reforms will give investors confidence over the safety of their investments. Thus attracting the world’s top players in the maritime space to invest in Nigeria.

c. The passage of this bill would return to Nigeria a large part of 60% of tonnage which it has lost to other parts in the West African sub-region due to cargo diversion.

d. It would return the shipping charges, terminal operator’s charges, licensed custom agent charges and transporters chargers which Nigeria hitherto lost to the cargo diversion from Nigerian to the West African ports.

STRATEGY 4: INTRODUCE APPROPRIATE LEGISLATION TO ENSURE EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF ACCESS TO CAPITAL FOR 180M NIGERIANS.

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STRATEGY 1. REVIVAL OF THE STUDENTS LOAN BILL IN THE FEDERAL HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:

The Students Loan Bill pending in the House of Representatives should be revived. The said bill which provides for the establishment of a National Education Bank seeks to provide interest free loans strictly for the tuition, accommodation, and basic living needs of deserving student of higher institutions. There is also a similar bill in the senate which should be harmonized to enact one body of law that would. With modern data harnessing policies like the Bank Verification Number (BVN) available to financial institutions in Nigeria, it will be less cumbersome to implement this Bill when it eventually becomes

passed into law. The said bill has suffered a slow legislative process in both Houses of the national assembly and should be revived to achieve its enactment into law.

A sustainable students’ loan scheme benefiting over 5million students yearly would:

- Empower financially disadvantaged students to access quality education thus having the ability to lift themselves out of poverty,

- Provide direct additional revenue of over N5trillion for tertiary educational institutions yearly to adequately invest in

- Guarantee better cashflow for higher institutions thus enabling them to access credit for working capital or other educational infrastructural investment

- Create a entirely new value chain in the financial sector

- Narrow the widening skills gap and check rising social inequality.

REPEAL OF DECREE NO. 53 OF 1993

Decree no. 53 of 1993 which established the Nigerian Education Bank that replaced the Students Loan Board of 1972. the Nigerian Education Bank has outlived its usefulness as it provided funds ranging from NGN 24,000-NGN 32,000 for 4 years. This clearly is a far cry from what the present realities portends for a Nigerian student of today. The Nigerian Education Bank also had an extremely cumbersome application process for beneficiaries, no wonder it has not been able to record up to 10,000 beneficiaries from its inception over 20 years ago till date.

This law has clearly become obsolete and a clog in the wheel of education progress; we will repeal it.

STRATEGY 2: AMENDMENT OF THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES COMMISSION ACT

A bill seeking to amend the National Universities Commission Act should be introduced. The said amendment shall mandate all universities to submit a

proposed review of their curriculum and academic programs to the commission for approval once every three years for approval. The public - including students will also have the opportunity to make inputs into such curriculum reviews. Approval shall be one of the prerequisites for higher institutions to benefit from research grants from the Tertiary Institutions Trust Fund.

The amendment shall provide for the setting up of the universities Curriculum and academic programs review committee. This committee shall be saddled with the responsibility of examining the proposed curriculum and academic programs review of tertiary institutions for subsequent approval, thus qualifying them for the TETFUND Research grants.

Impact Analysis:

i. The above amendment shall ensure that the Universities Curriculum is regularly updated to meet current trends, technology and standards. It will swiftly move our educational curriculum from the outdated state it currently is to a more relevant state to meet the exigencies of the current world.

ii. It would also mean that the system would produce more employable graduates with skills relevant for today’s world.

STRATEGY 3: AMENDMENT OF THE TETFUND ACT

Initiate a bill to amend the Tertiary Education Trust Fund Act to provide that at least 40% of the funds raised are deployed for research programs of tertiary institutions. The said research programs must be from schools whose curriculum review has been approved by the relevant commission like the NUC or NPC. Impact Analysis:

i. This amendment would incentify the periodic curriculum review thereby serving as a motivation for institutions to review their curriculum.

ii. This amendment would also eliminate or reduce the incidences of institutions underutilizing research funds from TETFUND or utilising such funds for irrelevant research. This is because research funds will be disbursed on the condition of an updated curriculum. An updated curriculum would surely aid institutions to decide the direction of its research.

STRATEGY 4: AMENDMENT OF ACT NO. 53 NERDC ACT

Amend the Act No. 53 to provide for the inclusion of Vocational Studies, Peace & Conflict Education Islamic studies and the gradual inclusion of mandarin in our curriculum. The said amendment should also provide for a mandatory and public review of the Primary and Secondary school curriculum every 3 years - in a public way that all and sundry can make inputs.

Impact Analysis:

i. The regular curriculum review would bring the learning systems, techniques, and learning outcomes of primary and secondary school pupils up to date with modern exigencies.

ii. Vocational studies will provide over 10million students yearly with life skills to become productive entrepreneurs, as it breeds creative and innovative ideas. In the long run, it impacts on the economy and also increases personal freedom.

v. Graduates looking for jobs can use their vocational skills to set up their businesses and earn income. The training of students in vocational education brings about both immediate and lasting economic returns for the country and its citizens.

vi. Peace and Conflict education shall educate the students, in both primary and secondary schools, on the issues of peace, non-violence and tolerance; enable them to develop skills of active listening and critical thinking.

vii. Students will be encouraged to see themselves as citizens of one single nation rather than to divide themselves along ethnic lines. They would also be taught anger management skills to assist in development of their conflicting resolution capacity.

viii. According to UNICEF, Nigeria has 10.5million out of school children with 60 percent of that figure in northern children. The review of the curriculum to provide for Islamic education such as the almajiri schools that was introduced by the past administration but abandoned by this administration would reduce by half the out of school children in the north.

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ix. The gradual introduction of mandarin into the curriculum would give the Primary school pupils an opportunity to learn the language of China, a new business powerhouse and the most populous country in the world. Proficiency in mandarin would open up business and integration opportunities for the students and pupils.

STRATEGY 5: NATIONAL POLYTECHNIC COMMISSION (ESTABLISHMENT) BILL

A bill for the establishment of the National Polytechnic Commission with similar functions as the National University Commission but specifically tailored to meet the needs of polytechnics. This Act shall repeal the Federal Polytechnics Act which specifically legislates for federal polytechnics and replace it with the National Polytechnic Commission (Establishment) Bill which would apply to both Federal, state and private polytechnics.

The said amendment shall mandate all polytechnics to submit a proposed review of their curriculum and academic programs to the commission for approv-al once every three years. Such submission of approval and subsequent approv-al shall be one of the prerequisites for higher institutions to benefit from research grants from the Tertiary Institutions Trust Fund.

The amendment shall provide for the setting up of the polytechnics Curriculum and academic programs review committee. This committee shall be saddled with the responsibility of examining the proposed curriculum and academic programs review of tertiary institutions for subsequent approval, thus qualifying them for the TETFUND Research grants.

Impact Analysis:

i. This Act would ensure the establishment of the NPC solely for the regulation of Polytechnics unlike previously when it was being regulated by the National Board for Technical Education which has over 570 institutions.

iii. The curriculum which will be reviewed once in three years will ensure that Nigerian polytechnics updated on current innovations.

STRATEGY 5: SPONSOR THE NATIONAL HONOURS SOCIETY BILL

This bill shall provide for the National Honours Society List. This list shall include the best graduating students from each faculty of degree awarding institutions in Nigeria who have excelled in academics and leadership. The said list shall be managed by the TETFUND and these honourees shall be placed on salary until till they find good paying jobs. These honourees are to be role models of educa-tional excellence.

Impact Analysis:

i. This bill if passed shall encourage a culture of academic excellence amongst students and help correct the recent trend when winners of entertain-ment shows are hugely rewarded financially while the best students are given meager sums of money.



SECTORAL REFORMS EDUCATION

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Broad Sectoral Goals:

Aggregate up to N5trillion yearly for investment in Education from the private sector to provide the infrastructure neccessary for delivering quality education and higher the best talents as educators

Education system is able to impact current, relevant & futuristic knowledge to citizens stronger laws that ensure broadbased, mandatory Curriculum Review and capacity building of educators

Incentivise industry experts across 15 selected industries who devote up to 1 day per month to transfer knowledge (teach) in selected universities & secondary schools at least once per month)

Incentivize educators to always be on top of their game by legislative fraemworks that ensure 360 degree rating systems - students will also issue report cards on the abilities of educators to transfer knowledge.

Create a National Honours Society for students who have excelled in academics and leadership & put them on steady pay till they find their feet to serve as role models.

Reduce the number of out-of-school children especially in the Northern Nigeria which currently has over 10.5m out-of-school children by incentivizing more northerners to go to school via inclusion of islamic studies in their curriculum















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SECTORAL REFORMS TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

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STRATEGY 1: MOBILIZE TO REFORM THE PIONEER STATUS REGIME THROUGH AMENDMENT INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT (INCOME TAX RELIEF) ACT (AMENDMENT) BILL 2018

This bill has not yet been passed into law, but has been passed by the two legislative houses. It currently awaits harmonisation and subsequent Assent by the President. There is little or no doubt that this bill will be passed by the 8th Legislature. Hence, it is suggested that this bill be amended by the 9th Legisla-ture. The following provisions of the said bill are suggested for amendment.

i. The provision for increase of the benchmark Qualifying Capital Expenditure for companies to qualify to apply for pioneer status to N100m for indigenous controlled companies and N120m for other companies should be amended as this is a barrier to the most innovative MSMEs. It is suggested that this should be amended thus:

a. The benchmark QCE for Micro Enterprises should be set at N4m, Small Enterprises N5m and for Medium Enterprises N100m. This will guarantee that genuine local small cottage industries which would desire a grant of pioneer status are disqualified due to their inability to meet the new QCE requirement.

b. Section 3(6)(c) & (d) to the Bill which provides for additional categories of investment that will qualify for tax relief should be amended to include that a company qualified for pioneer status which is involved in technological innova-tion may be able to enjoy tax relief for up to 15 years.

c. Require all embassies to set up “Showcase Days" once per month across all embassies worldwide to attract enlighten foreign innovators and investors about Nigeria's favourable Pioneer Status regime.

Impact Analysis:

i. The said amendments will ensure that innovative MSMEs are not outmuscled and denied the opportunity to benefit from the tax holidays necces-sary to grow their technology businesses.

ii. The amendment will provide for 15 years tax rebates, with innovative software companies awarded Pioneer Status paying as low as 0% tax rates in some cases this would also encourage up to 10,000 large local and foreign

Broad Sectoral Goals:

Make Nigeria the technology startup capital of Africa over the next 10-years by incentivizing over 10,000 local and foreign innovators to setup their startup/technology companies’ core operations in Nigeria through the grant of Pioneer Status to breakthrough software or hardware technologies and social innovation models – with special focus on the local ones with smaller QCE which currently excludes them from the subsisting Pioneer Status regime.

Exercise better oversight function over 17 key agencies in the ministry of Science & Technology to ensure they are delivering on the targets they were set up to accomplish especially the Sheda Science and Technology Complex (SHESTCO), National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), and the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) which sadly has had over 25+ Technology Incubation centers across Nigeria since 1993 consistently performing sub-optimally.

Aggregate between N500bn and 5trillion for technology and innovation development/ commercialization by incentivizing the private sector to invest in Research & Development yearly

Exercise better oversight function over the approximately N14bn annually allocated to research & development by government agencies and create legislative frameworks that ensures government-funded research are carried out with better collaboration with the academic sector. This will promote uptake of research outputs from Nigeria’s academic institutions for societal and commercial good.

Ensure transparent, accountable and competitive access for all cadres of researchers (undergraduate, postgraduate & faculty researchers) to approximately N140bn research grants allocated annually by the federal government.

companies to also set up their companies in Nigeria by taking advantage of the Pioneer Status regime.

This approach will yield massive job creation, and in turn more PAYE revenue for states to to increase their IGR.

STRATEGY 2: INCENTIVIZE COMPANIES TO REDIRECT INVESTMENT TO RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES, INNOVATION & INVENTIONS VIA AN AMENDMENT OF THE COMPANY INCOME TAX ACT:

A bill seeking to amend the Company Income Tax Act shall be introduced to provide for a five (5) year tax holiday for new companies (who are not eligible for Pioneer Status) but are willing to invest massively in Research and Development of their own products in collaboration with the academia and other research center in Nigeria.

This amendment should also provide for Up to 30% Tax rebates for companies investing at least 15 percent of their Profit after tax in Research & Development. This amendment would achieve the following objectives;

i. Stimulate Innovation and Technological Advancement by encouraging companies and corporations to site their Research and Developmental projects in Nigeria.

ii. It shall also stimulate economic development through the increase in foreign capital investment and reduce unemployment as new companies would inevitably result in job creation.

iii. Incentivise R&D investment by introducing tax rebates for investment of at least 15 percent of profit after tax on R & D would encourage companies to invest a significant portion of their investment on R&D.

If these and other amendments are made, it will encourage foreign companies to commence Research and Development investment in Nigeria. If incentives like this were in place research and development projects like the Google artificial Intelligence Centre in Ghana would be attracted to Nigeria.


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If these and other amendments are made, it will encourage foreign companies to commence Research and Development investment in Nigeria. If incentives like this were in place research and development projects like the Google artificial Intelligence Centre in Ghana would be attracted to Nigeria. A

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SECTORAL REFORMS ANTI-CORRUPTION & LEAN GOVERNMENT

STRATEGY 1: A BILL FOR AN ACT TO AMEND THE CODE OF CONDUCT BUREAU AND TRIBUNAL ACT

The Act should be amended to allow Code of Conduct Bureau disclose asset declaration data of public office holders in open data format on a yearly basis and upon request by any citizen. The law should also be amended to extend the category of persons who should declare their assets to include persons who hold funds in trust for the public but are not government workers. Such persons include head of religious organizations like churches and mosques, trustees and principal officers of NGOs and charitable organizations.

STRATEGY 2: A BILL FOR AN ACT TO AMEND THE CONSTITUTION TO MAKE ANTI-CORRUPTION BODIES ALLOCATION A FIRST LINE CHARGE:

To preserve the Independence of Anti-Corruption Bodies, the Constitution should be amended to include the EFCC and the ICPC in the list of bodies entitled to receive their allocation direct from the consolidated revenue account. This gives them the same level of independence the National Assembly & judiciary currently have, thus insulating them from interference from the Executive and the National assembly.

STRATEGY 3: SPONSOR THE POLICE OFFICERS & ANTI-CORRUPTION PERSONNEL WELFARE & RECRUITMENT REGULATION ACT This bill shall contain provisions for the Improvement of welfare and capacity of all Police officers & anti corruption personnel. The bill shall propose the following:

- Free education for 3 of their children up to masters level (children of judges enjoy this privilege to Ph.D level) and priority access to mortgage for home ownership, as when they die in the line of service, their families are always left homeless.

- Provide performance based incentives for personnel.

- Improve recruitment strategy to attract the brightest and best minds.

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Apart from the passage of the law at the National Assembly, NGO’s, civil society, labour and the media will be galvanized to lead the advocacy to have this same law passed by the state house of assembly of different states.

This is because there are still some elected/appointed public office holders earning multiple salaries/pension at the state level. An example is an ex Local Government Chairman who becomes a State House of assembly member or who becomes a commissioner.

STRATEGY 5: PROPOSE THE PUBLIC OFFICERS AIDES, ADVISERS, & ASSISTANTS REGULATION BILL:

Limit the number of aides, assistants and advisers elected or appointed public officers are entitled to have. The said bill shall arrange the elected and appointed public officers into cadres with each cadre having a maximum number of aides they are entitled to have. It would also compel the said public officers to pick at least 50% of their aides from amongst Civil servants who are already being paid by the government.

Since the said Bill would be an act of the National Assembly, it is pertinent to promote advocacy to have it replicated in as many states as possible.

This will go a long way to reduce the recurrent expenditure of Government across all tiers.

This would further promote the independence of the police and anti-corruption agencies personnel. It would also ensure that the best minds are attracted to these agencies while encouraging better performance from them.

STRATEGY 4: SPONSOR THE PUBLIC OFFICERS HARMONISED EMOLUMENT/PENSION BILL

One of the most burdensome governance challenges bedeviling Nigeria is the overwhelming cost of governance. This problem is further worsened by the duplicated sums being paid to past elected/public office holders.

There are 17 ex governors serving as senators, 5 ex governors, 2 ex deputy governors and 1 former acting governor serving as minister and all these earn double salaries enabled by relevant laws. There are also retired military and police officers who are now elected or appointed public office holders earning both their pension for their past jobs or positions and earning remuneration for their present offices. This has greatly increased the percentage of government wasted on avoidable recurrent expenditure at the expense of capital expenditure.

As our democracy develops, more and more public office holders would join this category of people earning double and sometimes multiple remuneration from the government. Our commonwealth should not be fritted away by a few Nigerians who eat the chunk of what should be available for capital projects that would improve the lives of Nigerians.

It is in the light of the above that The Public Officers Harmonised Remuneration/Pension Bill should be initiated at the national assembly. This bill shall forbid any person appointed or elected into any arm of the Federal Government from receiving any pension, or emolument from any tier of government while receiving remuneration for his current appointment or elective position. The implication of this is that no elected or appointed public office holder shall be paid more than one salary/pension/remunetaion from the government at any given time. This will go a long way to reduce the running cost of government.
















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Documents

RNV Legislative Prioritiesraisingnewvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/RNV-Legislative-Priorities.pdfBoost intra-state trade & international trade Increase government revenue for