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PIB: Senators reach truce, begin 3-day plenary tomorrow

By on March 4, 2013

Finally, northern and southern caucuses in the Senate have reached a middle ground on the new Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) with the debate on the document scheduled to begin tomorrow. The first reading was done in 2012, shortly after President Goodluck Jonathan presented the document to the Senate and the House of Representatives last July.

The debate on the second reading was initially scheduled for January, soon after lawmakers resumed from the yuletide recess, but the Senate leadership was forced to put it on hold following feelers that the “mood in the chamber was not yet conducive towards the new oil law.” It was gathered that the leadership shelved the idea and instead, appealed to the two caucuses in the chamber, the Northern Senators’ Forum (NSF) and the Southern Senators’ Forum (SSF) to meet and harmonise positions before going ahead with the crucial second reading stage of the PIB.

Two ranking Senators, Umaru Dahiru from Sokoto and James Manager, Delta State, head the NSF and SSF respectively. The NSF was the first to meet on the new PIB in the January and the first meeting did not produce a tangible way forward, with other parleys scheduled thereafter. Also, the SSF’s first meeting on the PB did not produce any tangible result either; not until the second meeting when members decided to engage external consultants to advise it on the document.

The SSF even raised an internal committee, headed by Senator Paulker Emmanuel, Chairman of the Petroleum Resources Committee (Upstream) to interface with external consultants on the PIB. Perhaps, sensing a stalemate on the matter, two weeks ago, the Senate leadership allowed Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, to brief Senators on the merits of the new PIB. In company with the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and some principal officers of the Upper Legislative Chamber, the briefing session held at the new wing of the Senate immediately the day’s plenary.

Another high-powered committee, chaired by ranking members in the SSF, were mandated to quietly interface with their colleagues in the NSF with a view to allay whatever fears the region has about the PIB. A source in the SSF said that the caucus decided to approach “a soft, conciliatory approach to the matter because if it comes to numbers, the SSF is clearly out-numbered. We decided to make our colleagues from the north know that the PIB does not unduly favour a section of the country, as some critics are wont to portray it in the media. “Besides, the briefing session we had with the minister helped sway some of our members; that government has no hidden agenda with the PIB.”

The NSF has 57 out of 109 Senators. Senate President David Mark announced at last Thursday’s plenary that the long-awaited second reading will commence on Tuesday and would span the entire three days. A register was thereafter opened for those willing to speak on the bill, meaning that immediately the second reading of the bill begins, any Senator who did not register would not be allowed to contribute to the debate.