For the record: Stella Oduah’s legislative interventions — By Emeka Oluchukwu
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Senator Stella Oduah
Princess Stella Oduah is a ranking member of the Nigerian Senate, representing Anambra North District in Anambra. She was first elected in 2015, and in 2019, she was re-elected to the same office owing to her superlative performance. She is one of the very few women in the senate who have chalked up legislative experience and achievements.
Princess Oduah is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and currently one of the ranking senators from the south-east. The senator has etched herself into the hearts of many by delivering good representation. She has sponsored impactful bills tailored towards addressing some of the challenges of the south-east, her constituency and Nigeria. The South-east Development Commission Bill is one.
And there are many others like the National Agricultural Programme Coordinating Agency (Est. etc.) Bill; Government Performance and Accountability Office Bill, 2019; Constituency Projects (Budgetary Provisions) Bill, 2019; Integrated Rural Development Agency (Est. etc) Bill, 2019; Infrastructure Development Bill, 2020’; Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme Bill, 2020; Federal Medical Centre Onitsha (Est) Bill, 2021 (passed); Federal University of Entrepreneurship, Onitsha (Establishment) Bill, 2022, and Federal Entrepreneur Centres (Establishment) Bill, 2022.
In August 2021, Princess Oduah was reported to have introduced the highest number of bills in the ninth senate – with 38 bills between 2019 and 2021. She topped the charts in the ranking of senators with the most bills. In the south-east, she outpaced other senators from the zone, contributing over 35 bills to the aggregate bills from federal lawmakers in the area.
For the record, here is a schematic rundown of the bills (ninth senate):
Protection of Personal Information Bill 2019 National Religious Equity Commission (Est, etc) Private Hospital Regulation Bill 2019
Fiscal Responsibility Act 2010 (Amendment) Bill 2019
Exemptions Bill 2019 Renewable Energy Bill 2019
Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill 2019 Carbon Tax Bill 2019
NYSC Act (Amendment) Bill 2019
Marriage Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill 2019
Nigerian Latin Village Ibadan (Est, Etc) Bill 2019
Marital Right of Spouses Bill 2019
Investment Assurances Bill 2019
Government Performance and Accountability Office Bill 2019 South East Development Commission (Est, etc) Bill 2019 Constituency Projects (Budgetary Provisions) Bill 2019 Integrated Rural Development Agency (Est, etc) Bill 2019 Constitution (Alteration) Bill 2020
Foreign Assistance Commission of Nigeria (Est, etc) Bill 2020 TETFUND Act 2011 (Amendment) Bill 2020
Health Equipment Credit Guarantee Fund (Est, etc) Bill 2020 Federal University of Entrepreneur Onitsha (Est, etc) Bill 2020 Examination Malpractice Act (Amendment) Bill 2020 Constitution (Alteration) Bill 2020
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (Est, etc) Bill 2020 National Agricultural Programme Coordinating Agency (Est, etc) Bill 2019.
Senator Oduah’s Bills in eighth assembly:
Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill
An Act to Amend the National Youth Service Act
An Act to Provide for the Protection of Investors and Promotion of Investment; To achieve a Balance of Rights and Obligations that Apply to all Investors; And to Provide for Matters Connected therewith.
National Integrated Community Development Agency Bill
Federal University of Education Aguleri, Anambra State (Est. Etc) Bill 2018
A Bill for An Act to Establish National Artisan Development Centres, To Provide for The Development of Artisans Across the Country; And for Other Matters Connected Therewith
Harmonized Retirement Age of Staff on National Assembly Service Bill, 2017
Government Performance and Accountability Bill, 2018
Personal Information Protection Bill
A Bill for The Establishment of Technology Hubs and Skill Acquisition Centres Across the Geopolitical Zones of The Federation
An Act to Establish a National Directorate of Employment Trust Fund and Other Related matters Connected therewith
An Act to Repeal the Prisons Act Cap. P29 Laws of The Federation of Nigeria 2004 And Enact the Nigerian Prisons and Correctional Service, To Make Provisions for The Administration of Prisons in Nigeria; The Awaiting Trial Persons and For Related Purposes, 2015
Property Rights of Spouses Bill, 2015
National Agricultural Programme Coordinating Agency (Establishment) Bill
An Act to Amend the Prison Act P.29 Laws of The Federation of Nigeria, 2004 To Provide for A Mother and Baby Unit for The Care of Female Prisoners Who Are Pregnant, Nursing Mothers and Their Babies and For Related Matters.
Senator Oduah has also sponsored over 50 motions seeking to address critical problems such as flooding in the country. Lives and property were lost to the recent floods which devastated some states across the country. Senator Oduah’s motion on construction of dams to remedy perennial flooding was with a view to tackling this nagging problem.
For the record, here is a synopsis of the motions:
Motion On the Need for The Establishment of Rural Development Agency
Motion On the Need for The Re-Establishment of a Separate Rural Development Agency to Ensure Development of Rural Areas
Motion On the Need for Regulation of Private Healthcare Sectors in Nigeria to Counter Ethical Dilemmas and Medical Negligence
Motion On the Need for A Water Transport Policy to Create Cheaper Transportation
Motion On the Need to Establish Truck Driving Academies in Nigeria
Motion On the Need for The Reviving of Core Industries Such as The Iron, Steel and Petro-Chemical Industries
Motion On the Need for A Sanitary Dignity Policy in Nigeria to Ensure the Provision of Sanitary Towels for Schoolgirls
Motion On the Need for The Revitalization of Vocational and Technical Training Education (Vte) In Nigeria
Motion for a Review of The NDE Act and The Establishment of a Youth Development Agency
Motion On the Need to Leverage on Tax Laws for Revenue Generation and Creation of Jobs
Motion On the Need for A National Integration Policy
Motion On the Need for Shared Prosperity Policies as A Means of Addressing Economic Inequalities in Nigeria
Motion On the Need for An Affordable Housing Policy
Motion On the Need for A Federal Road Development Policy
Motion On the Need to Mandate the Enactment of The Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act to Curb All Forms of Gender Based Violence
Motion On the Need to Address the Decay of Educational Infrastructure in Nigeria
Motion On the Need for Surrogacy Laws
Motion On the Need for Human Capital Development to Achieve Economic Advancement
Motion On the Need to Amend Gender Pronouns in The Constitution
Motion On the Need for Dispersal of Industries and Industrial Infrastructural Policy
Motion On the Need to Establish Truck Driving Academies in Nigeria
Need To Stop Under-Representation of Women in Elective and Appointive Positions at All Levels of Government in Nigeria and to Implement Affirmative Action of Thirty Percent Women Representation in Government
Need To Enforce Universal Basic Education
Need To Establish Inland Ports at Onitsha, Enugu and Other Land Lock States
The Worrisome Unemployment Woes in Nigeria: Urgent Need for Re-Tooling Our Skilled Workforce as A Very Important Sector Change the Narrative Economy
Need For Urgent Intervention of The Senate on The Illegal Oil Exploration at Ogwu-Aniocha in Ogbaru LGA of Anambra State by Sterling Global Exploration and Energy Production Company Ltd
Motion On the Unfortunate Fuel Tanker Explosion in Onitsha on October 16, 2019
Motion On the Need for Policies to Address Ethical Dilemmas, Clinical Negligence and The Underfunding of The Medical Sector
Motion On the Need for The Reestablishment of a Separate Rural Development Agency to Ensure Development of Rural Areas
Need To Establish a Visionary Budget-Driven National Planning Framework for Nigeria
Motion On the Need to Improve the Lives of Civil Servants and Police Personnel
Motion On the Need to Involve Religious Groups and Other Stakeholders in The National Poverty Eradication Programme to Make the Programme More Suitable
Motion On the Need to Stop Indiscriminate Installation of Speed Bumps on Highways in The State S Of the Federation
Motion On the Need to Boost Agricultural Production, Prompt Distribution and Optimum Utilization of Fertilizers in Nigeria
Construction Of Dams to Remedy the Perennial Flood Disasters in Nigeria
Motion On the Need for The Federal Government of Nigeria to Utilize and Integrate Traditional Medicine into The National Health System to Ensure Affordable Health System to Ensure Affordable Health Care
Motion On the Need for The Federal Government of Nigeria to Implement Rural Electrification Using Alternative Energy Sources
Motion On the Unfortunate Fuel Tanker Fire in Onitsha on October 16, 2019
The Need to Investigate the Appointment of Commissioners of Police and Commanders in Order to Ascertain the Extent of Compliance with The Principle of Federal Character
Urgent Need to Investigate the Allegation of Massive Foreign Exchange Laundry in Nigerian Banks
Need For Urgent Intervention of The Senate on Illegal Oil Exploration at Ogwu-Aniocha in Ogbaru LGA of Anambra State by Sterling Global Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Ltd to Prevent the Looming Breakdown of Law and Order, And Communal Clashes Between the Anambra Community and Oguta in Imo State
The Suitability of Hydroelectric Gravity Dams in Redressing the Harms of Perennial Flooding in Nigeria
The Need to Investigate the Appointment of Commissioners of Police and Commanders of The Police Mobile Force to State Police Commands in Order to Ascertain the Extent of Compliance with The Principle of Federal Character
Senator Oduah’s performance at parliament so far gives credence to the argument for women representation in government. She has proved that leadership defies gender and that women can lead the charge for a better country.
Emeka Oluchukwu writes from Anambra.
