A Few Days To His Leaving Office, President Muhammadu Buhari Signs 16 Amendment Bills Into Law, Changes Names Of Four Local Government Areas

 President Muhammadu Buhari has signed 16 Constitution Amendment Bills into Law. By this signing, State Houses of Assembly and Judiciaries now have constitutionally-guaranteed financial independence, while Railways have moved from Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List.

Another landmark change: by virtue of the Presidential Assent, Nigerian States can now generate, transmit and distribute electricity in areas covered by the national grid. This wasn't allowed pre-amendment.

"Prisons" - now known as "Correctional Services" - has also now moved from the Exclusive Legislative List, to the Concurrent List.

Meaning that States now have the power to establish Correctional and Custodial facilities, and State Assemblies have the power to legislate on such.

One of the new Amendments to the Constitution mandates the President and Governors "to submit the names of persons nominated as Ministers or Commissioners within sixty days of taking the oath of office for confirmation by the Senate or State House of Assembly.

A couple of the Constitution Amendment Bills relate to the change of name of some Local Governments. 

In Ogun State, Egbado North and Egbado South Local Government Areas are now to be known and addressed as Yewa North and Yewa South respectively. 

In Ebonyi, Afikpo North and Afikpo South LGAs are now to be known as Afikpo and Edda LGAs respectively. 

With Railways moving from Exclusive to Concurrent, it means Rail no longer exclusive preserve of Federal Govt/NASS. States will now be able to MAKE LAWS regulating establishment & operation of rail services WITHIN their territory. Inter-State Rail will remain FGN responsibility.

So apparently some of the LGAs whose names have just been changed by the constitutional amendments have been using the new names for a while, hehe. Well, it's the old names that have been in the Constitution the entire time.