President Buhari signs Endangered Species Bill into law

President Muhammadu Buhari has assented to the ‎Endangered Species Control of International Trade and Traffic Amendment Act 2016.

Sen. Ita Enang, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), made this known while briefing State House correspondents in Abuja.

Ita Enang

He said that ‎the Act was one of the 10 bills forwarded by the National Assembly to the President.

“The President has assented to the bill sent by the National Assembly, The Endangered Species (Control of International Trade and Traffic) Amendment Act 2016.

“This is one of the 10 Bills that were forwarded by the National Assembly to Mr President and he has just assented to this, almost completing every action on all the Bills that were forwarded to him by the National Assembly.

“The intent of this amendment is to bring the penalty provisions in line with economic realities and to act as a deterrent or deter people from trafficking and trading in endangered species because endangered are preserved of the country.’’

The Presidential aide said the intent of the amendment was to bring the penalty provisions in line with economic realities and to serve as a deterrent to people trafficking in endangered species “because endangered species are the preserves of the country”.

According to him, the Act is to discourage trafficking in endangered species and will encourage the culture of the preservation of endangered species, even as it increased the penalties for violations.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that with the signing of the Act, President Buhari had so far signed 17 bills into law in 2016.