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…as Senators approve $500m for host communities annually
….Reps lament inability to actively participate
By Emman Ovuakporie
Many members of the House of Representatives were on Thursday denied from actively participating in the consideration and adoption of the Petroleum Industry Bill PIB as they were not given copies of the report.
TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) reliably gathered that the lawmakers were peeved when they discovered that only a few copies were made available.
This development prompted one of the lawmakers, Hon Sergius Ogun, a PDP Rep to approach the House Committee Chairman on PIB , Hon Tahir Monguno to demand for a copy.
Ogun told TNG that “all the lawmakers within the axis I was seated had no copies so we were just watching as the clauses were being considered”.
TNG further gathered that the affected lawmakers have to get the roots of the matter and adequately address why they were denied copies.
Meanwhile, the Senate approved $500 million dollars as funding for oil producing communities in the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).
This was revealed by Senator Mohammed Sabo the chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Downstream.
According to him, the half a billion dollars would be from the three per cent approved funds for the Host Communities Trust Fund.
Sabo who disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday said; “As at today, what is going to the host communities is three per cent. And three per cent translates to over half a billion dollars annually. This is a lot of money.
“The bill (PIB) came with two point five per cent recommendation and the committee recommended five per cent.
There were series of consultations we have to look at 2.5 per cent and five per cent.
You have to look at the quantum of money involved. After being briefed and further explanations, we discovered that 3 three per cent will adequately be in order in this circumstances.