By Chibuike Nwabuko
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – The Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan on Thursday hinted that the upper legislative chamber will work with the executive to ensure the passing into law of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB).
This assurance followed a request by a ministerial nominee, Sen. Tayo Alasoadura that the 9th Senate should revisit the Bill in the interest of Nigerians.
Alasoadura had said: “I will plead with Mr President and my dustingeuished colleagues, especially the PIGB had been passed but has not been assented to by Mr President. Please revisit this bill for the good of Nigeria. It is very important for Nigeria to move forward and earn more from the national resource of crude oil God had given to us.
“There is another bill and we did public hearing on it. The Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Agency Bill. Everybody knows that the world has moved to clean energy. This bill is very important to our nation. And the bill should also be passed.”
But, narrating the history of the Bill, the Senate President Ahmad Lawan explained that since the efforts of the Senate failed, the time has come for the lawmakers to sit with the executive for a better chance of having the Bill assented to.
He said: “PIGB came to the National Assembly in the Sixth Assembly. We ended up with so many versions of the bill and didn’t even know which was which. It was a struggle to find the genuine bill from the Executive arm of government at that time.
“In the Seventh Senate, it came and was not concluded by the National Assembly. In the Eighth Senate, the National Assembly took the initiative to split the bill into four. And we passed the PIGB and there was some issues.
“In this narration, it is clear that despite efforts by the executive in the first instance in the Sixth and Seventh Senate, a solo sort of effort. And in the Eighth Senate, there was a solo effort by the National Assembly and all failed.
“The option we have today is for the executive and the legislature to come together and look at how to go about this business of the PIGB. Because since we tried individually and failed, I think the time has come for us to sit together, work out either one Petroleum Industry Bill or separate bills. Doing it together will give better chance of having a bill or bills that will be worked on by the National Assembly and assented to the President.”
Lawan disclosed that the Senate will swing into action as soon as possible, adding, “as soon as our committees are reconstituted, the petroleum-related committees will swing into action.
“Because I think we have all the materials that we need. Right from 2007 when we entered here up to the last day of the Eight Senate. All the materials are here. All we require is to have that synergy so that we are able to come up with something that will provide to us more revenues but also support and sustain investments through reasonable profits by those in the business.”
Earlier before the screening, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, drew the attention of his colleagues to Order 15 and 43, pointing that the media was awashed with reports that former lawmakers were given the privilege of taking a bow and go.
The President of the Senate, however, explained that the upper chamber has a tradition of telling former lawmakers to take a bow, adding, “we are not covering up anybody. A standard has been set. We will put it in our standing order.” Lawan said.