ASHENEWS reports that the Niger state House of Assembly has decried that the state is still operating the Public Health Law which was formulated on the 26th July 1917 and other obsolete laws describing it as archaic and old fashioned.
The Legislators said that the state still operating laws which were passed before the creation of Niger state does not show that the state is ready to face the present realities of health and other important sectors.
The information arose when the Legislator representing Gbako Constituency, Honorable Abubakar Yahaya Ahmadu raised a motion calling the Assembly to mandate the state Law Reform Commission to review obsolete extant laws in the state.
Ahmadu observed that there are many laws operating in the State that are obsolete. He pointed that not only are the laws archaic and outdated, some of the laws have become unenforceable.
“Several of these obsolete laws require expunging, repealing or amendment to bring them in line with the current realities. This is especially as regards the circumstances or situations they are meant to regulate.
“We are aware that there are obsolete extant laws made in 1915, 1939, 1962 that are still in existence. Laws that are unfortunately out of touch with modern realities and needs to be the reviewed”, he said.
Quoting section four, subsection seven of the 1999 Constitution which provides that “The House of Assembly of a State shall have power to makelaws for the peace, order and good government of the State, the Legislator urge the Assembly to call upon the Law Reform Commission to review the obsolete laws.
The Speaker, in his response, said that the state of obsolete laws in the state showed how unserious past Chairmen of the Law Reform Commission were for such laws to continue to be in existence.
*Laws like the Public Health Law which became law 40 years before the creation of Niger state shows how unserious the law reform commission has been. It is sad that the Commission and state is still making reference to the same law despite our current realities.”
The Speaker then called for the need for a new public health law and reviewing of other laws. He added that there is also the need for the state government to reconstitute the board of the law reform commission.
