*Constitutes Conference Committee
By Teddy Nwanunobi
The 9th Senate has assured Nigerians that the recently passed Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) by the National Assembly will be sent to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent before the lawmakers embark on their 2021 summer break in July.
This was even as the Senate has constituted a Conference Committee on the PIB.
The Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, who was at the ‘Town Hall Meeting on Protecting Oil and Gas Infrastructure’ to represent the Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan, gave the assurance, while reacting to a question by a stakeholder on the state of the PIB.
Abdullahi, who said that the 9th Senate wants “everybody to be a winner”, said that his colleagues were committed in the process.
“The House passed a different version from the Senate. So, the next thing we will do this week will be setting up a Conference Committee. The Conference Committee will come together, and look at the two versions, and adopt a common decision.
“Immediately that is done, it will be sent to the Senate Legislative Drafting Department. They will put it in the normal legislative drafting figure, and after that, the draft will be sent to the Clerk to the National Assembly to convey it to the President for assent.
“When that is done, it has left the National Assembly. It is now in the hands of the executive.
“I want to assure Nigerians that, very soon, we know we will be going on our annual long vacation. And it is not possible for us to abandon this before we go on our vacation. So, we must finish it as soon as we can.
“I will not give you tomorrow, next tomorrow. But I know that by 24 or thereabout (of July), we will be due for our vacation. So, we are committed to this, and we believe it is something that must be done so that the (oil and gas) industry will be beneficial to everybody. We want everybody to be a winner in this,” he explained.
Valuechain reports that the Senate and the House of Representatives passed the Bill, after about 20 years of failed attempts.
The PIB was first introduced into the 6th National Assembly in 2008 as an executive bill by then President, late Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
It was reintroduced into the National Assembly in 2012 by former President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, after the 6th National Assembly (2017 – 2011) failed to pass it.
Although the Bill was passed a few hours to the end of the tenure of the House of Representatives, during the7th National Assembly (2011 – 2015), it, however, failed to get a concurrent passage from the Senate.
Earlier in June, Lawan expressed happiness at the feat the Upper Chamber was about to achieve.
“We also promised to break the jinx on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), and we are on the verge of doing this by finally passing the Bill this month, after about 20 years of failed attempts,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lawan, on Tuesday, at the plenary, announced the composition of the Conference Committee on the PIB, with the Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, as Chairman.
Other members of the Committee include: Senator Mohammed Sabo (North-West), Senator Albert Bassey (South-South), Senator Danjuma Goje (North-East), Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (South-West), Senator Stella Oduah (South-East) and Senator Gabriel Suswam (North-Central).
Lawan urged members of the Committee to meet with their counterparts in the House of Representatives to enable the National Assembly to produce a final document on the PIB for onward transmission to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.
“The Conference Committee will meet with our counterparts in the House. The House will also announce the composition of the Conference Committee.
“We hope that they will swing into action immediately, so that we are able to have the final document of the PIB which we will transmit for the presidential assent. So, we expect our delegation here, under the leadership of the Senate Leader, to engage with our colleagues in the House of Representatives,” Lawan said.