There are over 400 treaties, protocols and agreements entered into with other countries by successive administrations in Nigeria that have not been ratified or domesticated by the Federal Government, a member of the House of Representatives, Dr Ossai Ossai, said on Tuesday.

Ratification requires the state parties to signify that they would be legally bound by the terms of a particular treaty, while domestication involves the state parties to incorporate the treaties into their domestic laws so that the rights and duties contained in such treaties may become applicable and enforceable domestically in the states concerned.

Ossai, who is the Chairman, House of Representatives’ Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements, spoke at the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja, during the inauguration of Nigeria’s first National Depository of Treaties, by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN).

Section 4 of the Treaties (Making Procedure, etc) Act designates the Federal Ministry of Justice as the custodian of the NDT which houses all the various agreements, Memorandum of Understanding, protocols, instruments of ratification, conventions, covenants and charters between other countries and Nigeria, since independence in 1960.

Members of the public are to have access to the electronic system on payment of certain prescribed fees.

The minister led a tour of the facilities on the third floor of the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja as part of the Tuesday’s event.

While commending the AGF for the initiative to establish the NDT, Ossai announced plan by his committee to review all the existing treaties, protocols and agreements involving Nigeria.

The lawmaker called for more collaboration between the executive arm of government and the National Assembly to make it easy for ratification/domestication where necessary.

Speaking at the inauguration of the NDT, Malami reiterated the need for all Ministries, Departments and Agencies “to transmit to the National Depository of Treaties domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Justice all executed agreements, Memoranda of Understanding, and treaties in their custody and those to be entered in the future in their original form.”

He expressed hope that the NDT would soon be made to have a more global outlook and accessibility from any part of the world.

Malami added, “It is about transparency, accessibility and order in line with the tenements of Open Government Partnership and access to justice which the government of President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to uphold.”

In his welcome address, the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr Dayo Apata (SAN), said “The electronic depository of treaties is one of the ways the Federal Ministry of Justice is utilising in taking advantage of technology to make accessibility to the depository easy and faster.”

In their goodwill messages, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr Paul Usoro (SAN), and the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Prof. Muhammed Ladan, also lauded the initiative.