Dogara, Stakeholders Back Domestication of Stockholm Convention, Rome Statute

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, and other critical stakeholders yesterday expressed strong support for the moves by the National Assembly to domesticate the Stockholm Convention and the Rome Statute.

The Speaker particularly reiterated the commitment of the lower chamber to prioritising issues related to human rights and protection of the environment.

He spoke at a one-day public hearing organised by the House Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreement on two bills which are ‘Bill for Act to Give Effect to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and for Other related matters and a bill for an Act to Provide for the Enforcement and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity, War Crimes, Genocide and for Other related Offences and to Give Effect to Certain Provisions of the Rome Statute of the International Court in Nigeria’.

Dogara said the domestication of the bills would among other things, lead to increased foreign direct investment (FDI) and lowering of the administrative cost of taxation.

He said the bills are particularly important to the country “because they are meant to protect human lives and secure the health of the people as well as the environment. In addition, he said: “They would lower the administrative cost of taxation and encourage the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to our country.”

The Speaker said the House appreciated the need to be responsive and take initiative on issues of the environment and health as well as national economic challenges, stressing that the legislations will reinforce the provisions of the Right to Life in Section 33 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).