President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the recommendations of the Presidential Committee on the Impact and Readiness Assessment of the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA, agreement.
By this, he will be signing the Phase one of the agreement in the course of his attendance at the Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union and 12th Extraordinary Summit on AfCFTA in Niamey, Niger Republic in a few days’ time.
Mr Femi Adesina, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, confirmed this development in statement in Abuja on Wednesday.
A country that signs the first level will then go into country level discussions leading to treaties after safeguards are agreed to.
In accepting the reports as submitted, Adesina said the President made it clear that Nigerian government would be seeking to include terms that engender the development of policies that promote African production, among other benefits.
President Buhari: “Africa, therefore, needs not only a trade policy but also a continental manufacturing agenda.
“Our vision for intra-African trade is for the free movement of `made in Africa goods’. That is, goods and services made locally with dominant African content in terms of raw materials and value addition.
“If we allow unbridled imports to continue, it will dominate our trade. The implication of this is that coastal importing nations will prosper while landlocked nations will continue to suffer and depend on aid.’’
…declines assent to 17 bills
President Muhammadu Buhari has rejected 17 bills passed by the 8th National Assembly.
Buhari, however, gave accent to nine other bills passed by the last senate.
The Senior Special Assistant to President (Senate), Sen.Ita Enag disclosed this to journalists at a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja.
He explained that the president decided not to communicate to the 9th Assembly on the rejection of the bills because it could not take any decision on the rejected bills.
Enag,however, promised to engage the leadership of both chambers on the rationale behind the rejections of those bills.
He said the current National Assembly could not take action to override them because the law forbade the lawmakers to do so.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the nine bills assented to by president are: Police Trust Fund Act, Nigeria Natural Medicine Establishment Act, FCT Management Board and Health Insurance, Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Defence Bill, Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria Bill, National Institute of Construction Technology and Management (Establishment) bill.
Others are National Agricultural Seed Council bill, Agriculture Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund (Amendment), and FCT Primary Healthcare Board.
He listed the bills refused assent as: Adeyemi Federal University of Education (Establishment) Bill, Federal University of Education Kano, Bill, Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education Bill, Federal University of Education Zaria, Bill, National Security Agencies Protection of Officers Identity Bill, Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency Bill, Environmental Managers Registration Council of Nigeria Bill.
Others are: Industrial Development Income Tax Act Amendment Bill, Defence Research and Development Bureau Bill, Animal Diseases Control Bill, Good Samaritans Bill, Chattered Institute of Directors of Nigeria Bill, National Institute of Hospitality and Tourism Establishment Bill and Federal University of Wukari (Establishment) Bill.
Warehouse Receipt and Other Related Matters Bill, Federal Capital Territory Health Insurance Agency Bill, Nigeria Automotive Industry Development Plant Fiscal Incentive and Guarantees Bill, Nigerian Film Commission Bill and Proceeds of Crime Bill.
