Senate shelves petroleum bill in counter protest
By Emmanuel Ogala
March 16, 2011 05:19AM
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The Senate on Tuesday called off passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill for the second time in one week, but this time in counter protest to series of protests calling on the lawmakers to pass the Bill.

It said it will not be blackmailed into the passage of the Bill by protesters who claim they are more patriotic than the senators.

A group of students from three universities in the Niger Delta region had on Tuesday morning barricaded the entrance to the National Assembly demanding the passage of the Bill and subsequently, an apology from the deputy Senate president who had last week dismissed them as “charlatans.”

The Senate president, David Mark, said his colleagues had also received a minimum of 20 disparaging text messages intended to stampede them into hastily passing the bill.

“We are as patriotic as those sending text messages. I do not think any Nigerian can be more patriotic than the senators,” Teslim Folarin, the Senate leader, said while requesting its withdrawal.

The Bill was subsequently withdrawn, to be heard on “another legislative day” and not even the next legislative day, indicating a major setback.

The Senate is expected to proceed on a recess after today’s plenary to enable members who are running for a rerun in the April 2 senatorial elections to prepare for their elections.

“We will take it, but not as those who want to blackmail us want,” the Senate president told his colleagues.

Members of the House of Representatives have, however, promised to begin third reading of the Bill today if its committee on petroleum is able to distribute it to all members by midday today.

Since the PIB was introduced into the two chambers of the National Assembly in December 2008, it has suffered series of delays due to disagreements on the provisions of the Bill by various relevant parties. The Bill has also undergone series of amendments and its true provisions are still unknown.

The Senate decision on Tuesday to suspend legislation on a Bill based on protest calling for its passage is the first in their ending four year term. Analysts say the politics of the PIB is beyond the lawmakers and protesters, a factor that could have motivated the action by the senators than the stated reason. The protesters, however, said they will not be discouraged.

“This development will only strengthen our commitment to continue the struggle to ensure that the PIB is passed into law,” David Ogbolor, leader of the group, said.

Non charlatans

The students, who had barricaded the main entrance of the National Assembly that morning to press home their demands, said their protest was sparked by the deputy Senate president’s “embarrassing” comments last week where he waved them off as “charlatans”.

The Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is conceived to repeal the Petroleum Act of 1969, and consolidate about 16 other petroleum industry laws into one single, transparent, and coherent document. The objective is to establish a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework for good governance, transparency, and accountability, with regard to operational and fiscal terms for revenues management, and removal of confidentiality clauses in licences, leases, and contracts in the nation’s petroleum industry.

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reader comments (7)



Posted by Inegbedion, D.E. on Mar 16 2011
Imagine how they proceed on delibrations in the national assembly. Bringing sentiments into national issues. God help Nigeria and its present crop of leaders.

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