Senate considers bills to fight poverty and stop intellectual property theft

On Tuesday, the Senate considered two critical bills aimed at fighting poverty and ending intellectual property theft in the country.

One of the bills provides for the establishment of the National Poverty Reduction Management Commission; while the other seeks to reactivate the Patents and Designs Act 2021 to overhaul existing intellectual property law to prohibit theft.

Both bills passed second reading in plenary.

The bill establishing the National Poverty Alleviation Management Commission aims to give the Commission the power to coordinate and regulate all forms of poverty alleviation funds.

The bill was sponsored by Senator Kabir Abdullahi Barkiya (APC Katsina Central).

Leading the debate on the general principles of the bill, Barkiya said that its passage and assent "will have a huge and vital impact on reducing the level of poverty, ravaging the majority of the country's citizens".

p>

According to the legislator, this includes the poor and their families who are struggling to feed themselves.

He explained that proper and effective management of poverty alleviation funds through sufficient regulation would significantly reduce the rate of poverty in Nigeria.

"It is imperative to note that the passage of this bill will effectively and efficiently regulate all forms of funds provided to alleviate poverty in the country, especially to address the suffering of our citizens.< /p>

"This aforementioned fund could be provided by the government, or international and local donations to minimize the high level of hardship people are going through in the country," the lawmaker said.

Contributing to the debate, Senator Christopher Ekpenyong (PDP Akwa-Ibom North West), called the bill "bipartisan".

He lamented that resources allocated for poverty reduction generally do not reach the poor due to poor management.

He noted that the establishment of a Commission as provided for in the bill would help achieve the federal government's poverty reduction goals.

For his part, Senator Ibrahim Gobir (APC Sokoto East) recalled that a similar bill had been adopted under the eighth senate but had not received presidential assent.

He therefore advised the president to sign the bill into law, adding that the establishment of management models to determine the level of impact of programs aimed at reducing poverty would, to a large extent, complement the bill. law.< /p>

After review, the bill was referred by Senate President Dr. Ahmad Lawan to the Poverty Alleviation Commission for further information.

The committee had four weeks to report back to the Senate plenary.

Similarly, another bill to revise the country's intellectual property law passed its second reading on Tuesday.

The bill entitled “Patent and Design Act 2004 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2021” was sponsored by Senator Ibikunle Amosun (APC Ogun Central).

According to him, the bill aims to protect intellectual property rights by establishing a framework for civil/judicial procedures.

He added that upon passage and assent of the law, it would give Nigeria the opportunity, as a member of the International Union for the Protection of Industrial Property, to obtain the maximum benefits by being part of the Patent Cooperation Treaty, 1970, of which it is a signatory.

After review, the bill was referred by the President of the Senate to the Committee on Trade and Investment.

The committee also had four weeks to report back to the full chamber.