The controversy surrounding the non-passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill is continuing as both chambers of the National Assembly give conflicting signals about the proposed legislation, STANLEY OPARAwritesConfusion as enveloped the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, which has suffered many setbacks in the last two years, as the Senate revealed that the Executive arm of government hadnot re-presented it for consideration.On the other hand, the House of Representatives is currently considering a version of the proposed law being sponsored by a member, contrary to expectations that the Federal Government will re-present the harmonised version for consideration by lawmakers in both chambers of the legislature.Despite pressure on the lawmakers in the sixth National Assembly by stakeholders for the passage of the PIB, the draft law could not clear the hurdle as a result of what some said was the cacophony of interests from different quarters, leading to the presence of varied versions of the proposed legislation.By the rule of the National Assembly, if lawmakers are unable to finish work and pass any bill in the life of a particular legislative assembly, such bill has to be re-presented and considered afresh by the succeeding legislature.The Chairman, Senate Committee on Downstream, Senator Magnus Abbe, told our correspondent on the telephone on Friday, As far as I know, there is no PIB before the Senate. It has not been re-presented to the seventh Senate.Abbe could not, however, confirm if the Senate had met with the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, to resolve the problem of the availability of multiple versions of the bill, but said, Even if we meet the minister and resolve this, the bill must be officially re-presented to the seventh Senate.He said the Executive might have thought that there was no need to present the bill afresh to the National Assembly, insisting that such a position would be erroneous and out of place.Abbe said the treatment given to the PIB by the seventh Senate was not an isolated one, as it had taken the same position on other bills that were not passed by its predecessor.On the other hand, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Oil and Gas, Mr. Bassey Ewa, told our correspondent on the telephone that the PIB was currently being sponsored by a member of the House and had passed first reading at the lower legislative chamber.We cannot have timeline for the passage of the bill. It depends on the sponsor of the bill. If he is prepared to take the second reading, it will be passed to the relevant committee, he said.Ewa said the other versions of the bill were currently not in the House, as the one being considered was a private member bill.He said the PIB remained a necessary legislation for the country because it would put in place modalities for taking care of issues surrounding the refineries, investments in the oil and gas sector, and supply of petroleum products nationwide.Ewa had said in September that the bill was not with the House because the immediate past Assembly did not take the third reading before the end of its tenure.Technically speaking, there is a PIB before us, but realistically speaking, it is not before the House. Now, it will have to go through the first, second and third readings before the final passage, he had said then.Ewa, however, assured Nigerians that immediately the House committees were inaugurated, the PIB was one of the bills that would be immediately deliberated upon.Because of issues like deregulation of the oil and gas sector, among others, he said the House had no choice but to expedite action on the passage of the bill.In a bid to ensure quality law for the sector, Ewa said the House would involve all stakeholders with a view to getting their contributions.According to him, the quick passage of the PIB means a lot to the legislators owing to expectations that the proposed law has the capacity to ensure the rehabilitation of the refineries and local refining of petroleum products.This, he noted, would aid employment generation, among other economic benefits that would accrue to Nigeria.The Chairman, Senate Committee on Gas Resources, Mrs. Nkechi Nwaogu, had recently told our correspondent that an updated version of the PIB was being expected from the Minister of Petroleum Resources.Nwaogu had stated that with the incorporation of the Clause 111 rule in the Constitution, the PIB, like other bills that could not be passed into law by the sixth Assembly would have to be reconsidered afresh.According to her, the clause makes it imperative that left over bills in the last National Assembly are to be treated afresh by the new legislature.She admitted that the non-passage of the bill had affected exploration for oil and gas in the country, building of new refineries and maintenance of existing ones as a result of uncertainly in the industry.The country, she explained, needed fresh investments in the industry, which the PIB when finally passed into law, would effectively address.According to the senator, most intending foreign investments in the sector are currently on hold because investors are earnestly waiting for the outcome of the PIB.We are aware of all these and we will expedite action on the bill. The consideration will start soon, Nwaogu had assured.The PIB is one, if not the most important legislation in Nigerias history. It is also the first and only bold attempt to reform the countrys oil and gas sector in fundamental ways since the commencement of exploration activities five decades ago.The bill was proposed by the Executive arm of government with the intent to reform the sector in line with modern global realities.It is widely believed that Nigerias oil industry lags behind those of its peers in Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia in terms of its functioning, structure, competitiveness, benefits and value creation for citizens.Broadly, the proposed reforms have been designed to enhance exploration and exploitation of petroleum resources, and to promote production for the benefit of Nigerians; significantly increase domestic gas supplies, especially for power generation and industrial development; and create a peaceful business environment that enables petroleum operations.It is also aimed at establishing a fiscal framework that is flexible, stable, progressive and competitively attractive; and creating a commercially viable national oil company with effective Joint Venture arrangements.The PIB is also meant to deregulate petroleum products pricing; create efficient regulatory entities; engender transparency and accountability; and promote Nigerian content through active citizen participation, among others.
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