After several weeks of deliberations, the Senate has passed a bill seeking to prohibit Nigerian athletes from consuming performance-enhancing substances during or after sporting competitions in the country.
Passage of the bill following consideration and approval of the report submitted before the lawmakers by the committee on judiciary, human rights, and legal matters during plenary.
The chairman of the committee, Senator Mohammed Monguno, presented the report on Thursday during plenary, appealing to his colleagues to pass the bill.
After the presentation, the Senators adopted the recommendations of the committee and approved that the Bill be read for a third time when it was put to a voice vote by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary.
The bill was presented before the lawmakers by President Bola Tinubu after sending a request to the Senate to pass the bill.
Tinubu’s request was contained in a letter read on the floor by the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary at the time.
In the letter, the president urged the Senate to review and approve a bill aimed at prohibiting athletes from using substances that enhance their performance.
Tinubu had stated that the bill would establish a legal framework for the formation of the National Anti-Doping Organisation.
According to the President, the Bill was meant to domesticate and enforce in Nigeria, the international convention against doping in sports ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in France.
