•  Ondo govt sets up 2023 census advocacy committee

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has signed two bills recently passed by the National Assembly into law.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), Nasiru Ila, made this known in a statement he issued on Thursday and titled ‘ Buhari Assents to Copyright Right, Federal College of Medical Laboratory Science and Technology Jos Bills.’

According to Ila, the President assented to the bills on March 17.

The statement reads, “COPYRIGHT ACT 2022: This Act repeals the Copyright Act, Cap C28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and enact the Copyright Act, 2022, to provide for the regulation, protection and administration of copyright. The enactment the new Copyright Act has again demonstrated the commitment of this administration to re-energising Nigeria’s creative economy and making it more globally competitive in the digital and age.

“The principal objectives of the new law, as outlined in Section 1 are to: protect the rights of authors and ensure just rewards and recognition for their intellectual efforts; provide appropriate limitations and exceptions to guarantee access to creative works; facilitate Nigeria’s compliance with obligations arising from relevant international copyright treaties and conventions; and enhance the capacity of the Nigerian Copyright Commission for effective regulation, administration, and enforcement.”

It added that the new Copyright Act expands the rights of authors, raises the sanctions for criminal infringements and more adequately addresses the challenges posed by digital and online use of copyright works.

The Act also provides specially for the needs blind, visually impaired and print disabled persons to have access to learning and reading materials in accessible formats, according to Ila.

The statement further read, “FEDERAL COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, JOS ACT, 2023: This Act repeals the Federal School of Medical Laboratory Science, Jos (Establishment) Act, 2018, and enacts the Federal College of Medical Laboratory Science and Technology, Jos Act, 2023, establishes the Federal College of Medical Laboratory Science, Jos, to make the Institution more effective in the discharge of its functions by strengthening the organisational framework, and to bring its provision in conformity with current democratic principles and operations of existing educational institutions, and the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Buhari had in the same day signed into law, 16 out of the 35 bills seeking amend various parts of the 1999 Constitution, which were passed by the National Assembly and concurred with by the required number of state Houses of Assembly.

The Constitution amendment bills included those seeing to devolve powers from the Federal Government to the states, moving some items from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List in the Constitution.

Ondo govt sets up 2023 census advocacy committee

In another development, the National Population Commission in Ondo State has set up a Census Publicity and Advocacy Committee in the state to publicise census information across the 18 local government areas.

The governor of the state, Rotimi Akeredolu, on Wednesday, inaugurated the committee at the Cocoa Conference Hall of the Governor’s Office Alagbaka, Akure, the state capital.

Akeredolu implored the committee to ensure it properly educate, inform and sensitise residents of the state on the conduct and relevance of the year 2023 Population and Housing Census.

The PUNCH reports that the census population was shifted to May due to the presidential and governorship elections held recently.

Members of the Committee include the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Owena Press Limited, publishers of the Hope titles, Sir Ademola Adetula; the Chairman, Ondo State Radiovision Corporation Media Group, Mr Kunle Adebayo represented by Taiwo Ibitoye; the General Manager, Nigerian Television Authority, Akure, Mrs Olubunmi Oke; the Nigeria Union of Journalists Chairman, Ondo State Council, Prince Leke Adegbite; Heads of Media organisations in the state; among several others.

Others include Chairman, League of Imams and Alfas, Ondo State; Sheikh Ahmad Aladesawe; Ondo State Christian Association of Nigeria Chairman, Rev. Fr. Anselm Ologunwa; Chairman, Ondo State Council of Obas and Deji of Akure Kingdom, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi; members of Ondo State House of Assembly; leaders of the National Association of Nigerian Students; the Iyalajes/Iyalojas in the state.

Mrs Odunayo Olubayode is the Secretary of the Committee.

The NPC Federal Commissioner in Ondo State, Prince Diran Iyantan, disclosed the target of the 2023 census is to produce accurate, reliable and inclusive data that will be used for planning and critical programme interventions.

He called on the committee members to be proactive while urging residents of the state to make themselves available during the exercise.

Credit: Punch