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Committee will submit PIB report July 11 —Tambuwal

By on June 19, 2013

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, said on Tuesday the House Committee on the Petroleum Industry Bill would submit its report on July 11.

Tambuwal said at a business lecture organised by the Island Club in Lagos that the committee had concluded hearings on the bill in all the regions except Abuja.

He said, “The PIB is so dear to our heart. We have concluded the second reading in the house, which was hitch free. Not a single member voted against the reading.

“We have constituted another committee and it has conducted hearings for the various regions. The final hearing will be in Abuja; thereafter, the committee will submit the report to us.”

He added that the House had achieved a lot because members were often determined to place the country above every other interest.

Tambuwal said, “We, in the legislature, do not have the luxury of other arms of government because the legislature is a gathering of equals representing Nigerians from all walks of life, working together primarily to deliver our mandates.

“Everything depends on mutual respect, consultation and consensus, and without the genuine cooperation of members, no real progress is possible. Even my emergence as Speaker, and indeed, other principal officers, has been due largely to this desire to elevate the collective interest above everything else.”

The Speaker pointed out that the nation’s growth depended on how well the legislature did its job.

He said, “The legislature must have a clear understanding of its role and have the courage to pursue those objectives whatever the pressures from within or out. For any of that to happen, it must have the capacity to think independently, to understand complex issues of governance and policies, and to be capable of verifying information through its own sources.

“The legislature cannot grow or talk about independence if it relies solely for other branch to supply its information. It must insist on participating in the process and not develop a syndrome of automatically approving or endorsing a policy without objective assessment. The legislature has firsthand knowledge of the need of the people and must be at the forefront, making sure those needs are met.”

 

 

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