Buhari declines assent to Institute of Chartered Biochemist bill

President Muhammadu Buhari has declined assent to the Institute of Chartered Biochemist and Molecular Biologists of Nigeria Bill 2018, recently passed by the National Assembly.

The President’s decline of Assent was contained in a letter to the House of Representatives and read by Speaker Yakubu Dogara at Tuesday’s plenary.

In the Letter, the President based his decline of Assent on two reasons as read out by the House Speaker.

“The House of Representatives: My decision on Nov. 5, 2018, to decline presidential assent to the Institute of Chartered Biochemist and Molecular Biologists of Nigeria Bill 2018, recently passed by the National Assembly is for the following reasons:

“The provision of Section 13, Subsection 3, to give the Chartered Biochemist and Molecular Biologists of Nigeria power to probe academic programmes; and even close down programmes in tertiary institutions, infringes on the mandate of the National Universities Commission and the National Board for technical education.”

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The President also cited certain drafting and Administrative issues in the Bill as contained in sections 13 and 14 in relation to Practice and appointment of a Chairman as confusing.

The House later abruptly adjourned its sitting due to break down of the public address system in the Chambers till Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018.

On the breakdown of the sound system, Dogara said the panel was obsolete as it was installed in 1999.