Leadership - The Bayelsa State House of Assembly weekend bowed to pressure over the need for the State Government and State House of Assembly to domesticate the Act on Violence Against Persons in the State,announcing that the Bill to domesticate VADD Act will be passed into law soon.
The Chairman of the House of Assembly Committee on Security, Hon. Bernard Kenebai ,who made this known in Yenagoa after receiving a draft Bill on the Domestication of the ACT from a Coalition of Civil Rights Activists, said the State House Of Assembly will ensure speedy consideraion and passage of the Bill for the domestication of VADD Act by the State House Assembly.
He assured that the Bill on the domestication of the VADD in the state will be passed in the next 60 days.
The decision of the State House of Assembly, leadership gathered was taken after an awareness rally staged by Activists, numbering over 200 and drawn from various Civil Society groups including the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA).
Nigerian Association of Women Journalists, the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Bayelsa Non-Governmental Forum (BANGOF) and the Association of Physically Challenged Persons,were led by the FACE Initiatives. The Nigerian Ace gospel musician,now a Special Adviser to Bayelsa Governor on Entertaient,Hon.Asu Ekiye was unveiled as the Face of VADD and took part in the peaceful March.
The activists, marched through the streets of Yenagoa to the office of the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Kemesode Wodu and the Bayelsa State House of Assembly,with the presentation of draft copies of the Act signed into law under the administration of former President GoodLuck Jonathan in 2015.
Speaking during the March, the Executive Director of the FACE of VAPP and Fostering Achievement of Community Empowerment Initiative, Mr. Inatimi Odio noted that despite the signing into law the VAPP act in 2015 by the last administration of former President GoodLuck Jonathan, only four states of Anambra, Ebony, Oyo and Lagos have adopted the Act with two others, Enugu and Kaduna at the advance stage of adoption.
“According to him, as the legislative campaign for the VAPP is being replicated in some states with the support of donor agencies including National Democratic Institute(NDI), the USAID and the UKaid,Bayelsa must grab this opportunity to be the first state in the South South region and be made a reference point amongst the league of State that has adopted VAPP. ”
“It is our desire that within the next two months, this law is adopted in the state. It will not give a good impression on the State, if this process lingers beyond this year, considering efforts of the past. We don’t have to reinvent the wheels after driving almost to our destination. This mean that the steering and Advocacy Committee have a great task in their hands working with both the executive and the legislative arm with support from other stakeholders to ensure we achieve this objective within the shortest possible time. ”
He also noted that the response from both the executive and legislative arms in Bayelsa have been quiet commendable and encouraging.
For us, it is a positive indicator but more importantly, is the resolve to expidiete action to sustain this drive to a logical conclusion.
No comments:
Post a Comment