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Reps Vow not To Pass PIB in Present Form, Cite Oil Minister as Cause for Concern

By on August 7, 2012

The Representatives are adamant on not passing the Petroleum Industry Bill in its present form.

According to interviews conducted by Reuters, the lawmakers cite several reasons for refusing to pass the PIB in its current form.

One of the reasons cited is the concentration of power vested in the oil minister by the present PIB.

“We’ve seen the powers given to the oil minister in the PIB and there is no way we’re going to allow our heritage to be handed over to any individual,” one member of the House of Representatives told Reuters, asking not to be named.

He added, “We want this to pass, and it will, but not just the way the president and the oil minister want. No way!”

The Reps are back from vacation in September, however it is expected that there will be serious deliberation and amendments made to the current PIB.

“We will not be subjected to pressure to pass the PIB. It will not get a speedy passage but a thorough passage,” Zakari Mohammed, spokesman for the lower house, told Reuters.

Another unwanted item in the PIB is a clause that allows the president to give out oil blocks and licenses at his own discretion.

“This unfavourable sentiment towards the president and oil minister may actually be positive towards giving Nigeria a reasonably acceptable PIB,” Clement Nwankwo, director at the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre in Abuja, said.