Senate : Anti – Doping Bill Scales Through 2nd Reading

The Senate has passed for second reading , anti – doping bill, forwarded to it for consideration by President Bola Tinubu last week.

Passage of the bill for second reading by the Senate, followed a lead debate made by its Leader, Senator Micheal Opeyemi Bamidele and contributions made by other senators on the necessity of the proposed law.

Senator Bamidele in his lead debate on the general principles of the bill, said it seeks for an Act to domesticate and enforce in Nigeria, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation ( UNESCO) Convention against Doping in Sports and to implement Nigeria’s Obligation to the World Anti – Doping Code, International Standards and for Related Matters .

According to him the bill in a nutshell, seeks to domesticate the UNESCO Convention against Doping in Sports to, among other things, establish the National Anti – Doping Centre for the purpose of combating doping in sports in compliance with the World Anti – Doping Code and the UNESCO Convention .

Other objectives of the bill he added, are to protect the rights of athletes to participate in doping free sporting activities and promote fair and equal treatment of all athletes and their health .

“Co – ordinate and harmonize effective sports anti – doping programmes at the national and international levels, with regard to detection, deterrence and prevention of doping.

“Provide measures for the prevention and control of doping in sports”.

After exhaustive debate on the motion by other Senators ,the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, mandated the committee on Sports to make further legislative inputs on it and report back in two weeks .

James Itodo, Edited By Grace Namiji