The Senate on Wednesday said the Nigerian Law Reform Commission was dormant.
This was largely responsible for the continued existence of obsolete laws in the nation’s statue book, members of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters said at a confirmation hearing of the commission’s nominees.
The committee is chaired by Senator Micheal Opeyemi Bamidele (APC Ekiti Central).
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Senator Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP Delta North), said Law Reform Commission was an invisible institution.
He said: “This commission as the body constitutionally saddled with the responsibility of law reforms, ordinarily supposed to be visible but not visible at all.”
Another member of the committee, Senator Ajibola Basiru (APC, Osun Central), said for the commission to have, in its record, only seven attempts of law reforms between 2017 and 2020 shows that it is dormant.
“The worrisome aspect of the dormancy is the existence of obsolete penalty clauses in our law books begging for a review.
“Obsolescence of penalties like N200 fine or six months jail term for offenders of a serious crime is ridiculous and not deterrent as it supposed to be,” he said.
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However, the commission’s chairmanship nominee, Prof. Jummai Audi, blamed the failure of the agency to carry out reforms of obsolete laws on the Extant Act regulating the activities of the commission.
She noted that the Extant Act empowers only the Attorney-General of the Federation for that purpose and no other person or body.
According to her, the way out for the commission to be vibrant as far as law reforms are concerned is for the 9th National Assembly to ensure the passage of a bill seeking to reform the Commission for better performance.
The bill, she said, had passed through all the stages of legislation in the House of Representatives and waiting for Senate concurrence.
Aside the chairmanship nominee, two out of the three other nominees for membership of the commission also appeared before the committee for screening.
They were Ibrahim Mohammed Olatunji from Osun State and Barrister Bassey Dan Abia from Akwa-Ibom State.
The nominee for the South East Geo-Political Zone, Ebele Donald Chima, was however absent.
