The senate through its committee on Judiciary , Human Rights and Legal Matters , declared Wednesday that the Nigerian Law Reform Commission is a dormant institution.
The chairman of the committee, Senator Micheal Opeyemi Bamidele ( APC Ekiti Central) and members , stated this during screening of nominees into the commission forwarded to the senate for confirmation by President Muhamnadu Buhari.
Dormancy of the commission, the committee members alleged , is largely responsible for continued existence of obsolete laws in the nation’s statue book.
Specifically, a member of the committee, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi ( PDP Delta North), 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 is dormant.
“The worrisome aspect of the dormancy, are the existence of obsolete penalty clauses in our law books begging for review .
“Obsolesce of penalties like N200 fine or six months jail term for offenders of serious crime is ridiculous and not deterrent as it supposed to be,” he said.
However the nominee for the chairmanship position of the commission, Professor Jummai Audi , said it has always been the wish of the commission to carry out law reforms against obsolete laws but the extant act regulating the activities of the commission is more of stumbling block against such moves.
According to her, the Extant Act empowers only the Attorney General of the Federation for that purpose and no other person or body .
