Standup9ja: Reps: Bill Seeking N100,000 Fine On Anyone Who
Abuses The National Flag Passes 2nd Reading
The House of Representatives on Thursday approved the second
reading of a bill seeking to impose N100,000 fine on anyone who abuses the
country’s national flag.
During plenary, sponsor of the bill, Rep. Sam Onuigbo
(Abia-PDP), in the debate, said the bill sought to amend Flag and Coat of Arms
Act 2004 and would make further provisions to preserve the country’s national
heritage.
Before making this known, he lamented the high rate of abuse
which the national flag is being subjected to, and urged the House to do
everything possible to preserve it.
He said there had been surreptitious effort to change the
national flag as many public and private offices constructed the Coat-of Arms
on it.
Onuigbo said that the offices even included official
photographs of governors, ministers, and even national assembly members in the
designs.
His words: “It is
important to declare that any addition, subtraction or super imposition outside
the version designed by Pa Michael Akinkunmi in 1959 is not the Nigerian flag.”
“Section 10 of the
Principal Act is being amended by removing the fine of N100 and replacing same
with N100,000,” he said, adding that ‘‘also any person who flies or exhibits
the national flag which is deconstructed, thereby creating an impression of
using the national flag, where actually the flag is deconstructed shall be
guilty of an offence against the Act.
‘‘Similarly, any
person who uses the national coat and inserts same into the national flag
thereby creating an illegal form of our national flag shall be guilty of an
offence against this act.’’
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