The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday amended the Maize Export Prohibition Bill, MEPB, to provide for at least one year imprisonment for persons found guilty of exporting unprocessed maize in large quantities.
Recall that the House of Representatives had passed the Bill earlier and forwarded it to the Senate for concurrence.
The Bill when assented to by the President, seeks to prohibit the exportation of maize. Or its derivatives in large commercial quantities from the country.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the amendment was passed after a majority of the Senators supported it through voice votes at the Committee of the Whole, where the clauses were considered.
The Bill was amended to prescribe that.
(1) Any person who –
(a) takes
(b) causes another person to take,
(c) induces another person to take, or
(d) attempts to take unprocessed maize whether in grains, on cobs, fresh or dry, in large commercial quantity of a minimum of one metric ton or higher, out of Nigeria, commits an offence.
(2) A person who contravenes the provisions of subsection (1), is liable on conviction to a fine in momentary value of the goods exported. Or sought to be exported or imprisonment for a term of one year or both.
(3) A customs officer or other person who aids, counsels, procures or conspires with another person to commit an offence under this section, is liable on conviction to the penalty under subsection (2); and
(4) The Federal High Court has jurisdiction over any offence committed under this Bill.
Leading debate on the Bill, the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, stated the motive of the Bill. He stated that the Bill aims to prohibit the exportation of maize.
He stated also that it seeks to address the on-going food crisis in Nigeria.
According to him, the bill is straightforward. And had gone through the necessary legislative process in the House of Representatives.
Bamidele, therefore, urged his colleagues to support the Bill.
The motion for the Bill was seconded by the Minority Leader, Abba Moro.
However, a proposed amendment to remove derivatives from the provision of the Bill was raised by the Senator representing Kebbi South Senatorial District, Garba Maidoki.
Some maize derivatives he mentioned included corn flour, cornmeal, corn gluten, cornflakes, cornstarch and many others
He said, “We must be fair to our people. We are the farmers; we grow these things.”
The motion for amendment was seconded by the Senator representing Adamawa Central Senatorial District, Aminu Abbas.
The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who presided over the session, in his remarks spoke on the importance of the products.
He said, “The derivatives are the products of the value chain because you create job by allowing that to occur.”
source: Premium Times
Follow us for more news on our WhatsApp News Channels @
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaC505jB4hdZ5Yx9g82U