Discontinue action on environment bill, NASS urged

The call was contained in a letter signed and addressed to the National Assembly by EMAN’s National President Arch. Emmanuel E. Ating and members of its executive.
“We wish to request for the discontinuation of further action on the bill for an Act to establish the Institute of Environmental Practitioners of Nigeria and other related matters, HB 13.02.450 that was passed for second reading in June 2013 by the House of Representatives this is because, the provisions of the bill completely breach the provision of the 1999 constitution of Nigeria,” the association said in the letter, a copy of which was made available to Daily Trust.
It said the sponsor of the bill did not specify the academic programme or discipline approved by the Nigerian University Commission that he wishes to professionalize or regulate through the bill.
It states, “Section 5C (i-iv)  stipulates of the bill in pages C287 stipulated more than one academic programme or discipline as an accepted academic qualification for membership of the institute and is a breach  of the 1999 constitution of Nigeria as amended.”
Section 5c of the bill makes provision for the registration of non-graduates which implies acceptance of a senior secondary school certificate and first school leaving certificate holders as Environmental Practitioners which is most unfortunate.
A professional regulatory/ registration council or institution provides for only one academic programme in a tertiary institution.
The 1999 constitution of Nigeria (as amended) section 315 (1a) recognizes the existing Professional registration and Regulatory Councils laws as Acts of the National Assembly   a very serious crisis and confusion would occur if a professional regulatory body as proposed in the institute of Environmental Practitioners of Nigeria is established to regulate the practice of all the professions engaged in environmental practice that have been regulated already and shall be regulated based on their specific academic curriculum and training. It will therefore be a breach of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.