As pressure and criticism mount on President Muhammadu Buhari after he assented to the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), details of how the law came to be and what role Buhari played are trickling out.
For starters, the bill didn’t’ originate from the executive.
“It was initiated by a senator and member of the House in the respective chambers, at the behest of the Corporate Affairs Commission and support of the Ministry of Trade and Investment,” said Ita Enang, special adviser to the president on the National Assembly. He stated this while addressing the Christian Association of Nigeria’s delegate in Abuja Tuesday.
Again, Enang said the law was not targeted at Christians, Muslims, and others.
“Misconceptions have enveloped this Act with deliberate misinformation and falsehood by persons who may not have fully and in-fact personally read and digested the provision of the Act,’ he said.
According to him, Buhari refused to assent to it the first time.
“Mr President, in accordance with extant best practice, escalated the measure to appropriate Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
“They made different inputs some of which led to Mr President declining assent twice to the bill in the entire tenure or life of the 8th Assembly.”
Since Buhari finally signed it to law in August, there have been protests by religious groups claiming the state wants to take over reliogion.