The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has recently signed two bills that were passed by the National Assembly into law. This was announced by Nasiru Ila, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), in a statement issued on Thursday titled “Buhari Assents to Copyright Right, Federal College of Medical Laboratory Science and Technology Jos Bills.” According to Ila, the President gave his assent to the bills on 17 March.
The first bill, the Copyright Act 2022, repeals the Copyright Act, Cap C28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, and enacts a new Copyright Act. The legislation aims to regulate, protect, and administer copyright in Nigeria, reflecting the administration’s commitment to revitalising the country’s creative economy and enhancing its global competitiveness in the digital age. Section 1 outlines the principal objectives: protecting authors’ rights and ensuring fair rewards; providing appropriate limitations and exceptions to guarantee access to creative works; facilitating Nigeria’s compliance with international copyright treaties and conventions; and strengthening the capacity of the Nigerian Copyright Commission for effective regulation, administration, and enforcement. The new Act expands authors’ rights, raises sanctions for criminal infringements, and more adequately addresses challenges posed by digital and online use of copyrighted works. It also includes provisions to ensure that blind, visually impaired, and print‑disabled persons have access to learning and reading materials in accessible formats.
The second bill, the Federal College of Medical Laboratory Science and Technology, Jos Act 2023, repeals the Federal School of Medical Laboratory Science, Jos (Establishment) Act 2018, and establishes the Federal College of Medical Laboratory Science, Jos. The purpose is to make the institution more effective in discharging its functions by strengthening its organisational framework and aligning its provisions with current democratic principles, the operations of existing educational institutions, and the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
On the same day, President Buhari also signed into law 16 of the 35 bills seeking to amend various parts of the 1999 Constitution. These constitutional amendment bills, which had been passed by the National Assembly and concurred with by the required number of state Houses of Assembly, include measures to devolve powers from the Federal Government to the states and to move certain items from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List.
Comments are closed for this story.