The senate has passed the
petroleum industry governance bill (PIGB).
The upper legislative chamber
also passed the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism bill 2019,
National Research and Innovation Council bill 2019, Stamp Duties act
(amendment) bill 2019 and National Agricultural Seed Council bill 2019.
Others are Agricultural Credit
Guarantee Scheme (amendment) bill 2019 and Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) act 2010 (amendment) bill 2019.
The bills were passed after Ahmad
Lawan, senate leader, moved a motion and referred for the committee of the
whole for consideration.
Buhari had initially rejected the
bills after which the senate set up a technical committee to review the bills.
After the technical committee
effected corrections, the senators considered the clauses of each of the bills
and passed them on Wednesday.
The president had cited legal,
constitutional and drafting issues as reasons for rejecting the bills.
In the case of the PIGB, the
president raised “legal and constitutional reasons” as reasons he had withheld
assent.
“That the provision of the Bill
permitting the Petroleum Regulatory commission to retain as much as 10 percent
of the revenue generated unduly increases the funds accruing to the Petroleum
Regulatory commission to the detriment of the revenue available to the Federal,
States, Federal capital Territory and Local governments in the country,” Ita
Enang, Buhari’s legislative aide, had said.
“Expanding the scope of petroleum
equalisation fund and some provisions in divergence from this administration’s
policy and indeed conflicting provisions on independent petroleum equalisation
fund.
“Some legislative drafting
concerns which, if assented to in the form presented will create ambiguity and
conflict in interpretation.”
The PIGB seeks to establish the
Nigerian petroleum regulatory commission as a one-stop regulator that will be
responsible for licensing, monitoring, supervising petroleum operations, as
well as enforcing industry laws, regulations and standards.
The bills will have to also be
passed by the house of representatives before they are sent to Buhari for
assent.
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