The Lower Chamber of the National Assembly, House of Representatives, has passed 100 motions through first reading.

Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, while speaking during plenary on Wednesday, said “this was in furtherance to the promise that the House will update the nation's statutes and laws to make them more in line with present realities and improve the overall well being of Nigerians.”

The bills include the 54 submitted by the House-sanctioned Committee of the Review of existing laws of the Federation last week.

“Don’t forget that in December last year, the House passed 130 bills through first reading. Many of those bills have scaled through second reading, while others are at different stages of legislative process,” the Speaker said.

Some of the bills that scaled first reading are Elder Person (Protection Bill); National Commission for Internally Displaced Persons, Refugees and Migrants; National Gas Resources Development Agency Bill and Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Miscellaneous Provision) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

Others include the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Dispute (Enforcement of Awards) Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2016; Statutory Corporation Pensionable Officers (Retiring Age Limit); Treaties (Making Procedures) Act Amendment Bill and National Gas Resources Development Agency Bill.

Similarly, three bills scaled through third reading on the floor of the House of Representatives. By this, the three bills have been passed by the House and now await concurrence with the Senate.

They are bill for an Act to Make Provision for Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshots and other related matters; Bill for an Act to provide for Corporate Manslaughter to Make Corporate Organisations Criminally Liable for Death of Employees arising from their Acts of Omission and other related matters, and a Bill for an Act to Repeal the Railway Loan (International Bank) Act Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and for other connected matters.

•Photo shows Speaker Dogara.

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