President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday signed the Endangered Species (Control of International Trade and Traffic) Amendment Act 2016 into law.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang, confirmed this to State House correspondents.
Enang said the bill was one of the 10 bills sent by the National Assembly to the President for assent.
He explained that the law was amended to bring the penalty provisions in line with economic realities.
He added that the law will discourage traffic and improve the preservation of endangered species in Nigeria.
Enang said, “This is one of the 10 bills that were forwarded by the National Assembly to Mr President and he has just assented to this, almost completing every action on all the bills that were forwarded to him by the National Assembly.
“The intent of this amendment is to bring the penalty provisions in line with economic realities and to act as a deterrent or deter people from trafficking and trading in endangered species because endangered species are preserved of the country.
“It will discourage traffic and it will improve agriculture and the preservation of endangered species in Nigeria.
“This is an amendment bill. This law has been in existence but what the National Assembly has done and the President has assented to today is to increase the penalty for violation of the provisions and to bring it in line with today’s realities.”
The law brought to 17 such Acts that Buhari had signed into law within two months.
The President had in November signed eight bills into law. They included the Prevention of Crime Amendment Act 2016, the National Crop Varieties and Livestock Breeds (Registration) Amendment Act 2016, Telecommunications and Postal Offences Amendment Act 2016, the National Agricultural Land Development Authority Amendment Act 2016.
Others are the Produce Enforcement of Export Standards Amendment Act 2016, the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute Amendment Act 2016, Bee Import Control and Management Amendment Act 2016, and Water Resources Amendment Act 2016.
Earlier in the month, the President also signed another eight bills into law. They include the National Judicial Institute Amendment Act, 2016, Advertising Practitioners Registration Amendment Act, 2016, Utilities Charges Commission Amendment Act, 2016, Quality Surveyors Registration Amendment Act, 2016 and Small and Medium Scale Industries Development Agency Amendment Act, 2016.
Others are Treaty to Establish African Economic Community Relating to Pan African Parliament (Accession and Jurisdiction) Amendment Act, 2016, University of Abuja Amendment Act, 2016 and Chartered Institute of Stock Brokers Amendment Act, 2016.
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