We are taking our time to do a thorough job on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) because it is a very delicate and sensitive piece of legislation, President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan has said.
Lawan made the comments on Friday while speaking on the expectation of Nigerians regarding the passage of some critical bills.
He identified the critical bills to include the PIB, the Amendment to the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Bill and even the 2021 Appropriation Bill all before the National Assembly.
Speaking at a retreat for members of National Assembly Management and National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) in Abuja, Lawan said almost every country now has oil and for that, it was important to come out with a thorough PIB.
“On the 2021 Appropriation Bill, I want to assure Nigerians that the National Assembly is working hard to see to its passage by the second week of December, 2020, by the Grace of God.
“So far, we achieved that in the 2020 budget. We believe we did the right thing. We promised Nigerians that we will do that and it is going to be part of our legacy in the Ninth National Assembly.
“The PIB on the other hand is one of the most essential legislations that we have to have in this country, and we have already commenced work on it. What we want to ensure is that the bill is passed before the end of the second quarter of next year.
“We are taking our time to do a thorough job on the bill because it is a very delicate and sensitive piece of legislation. We will take our time to ensure that what comes out of the National Assembly in the PIB is a product of legislation that will ensure that Nigeria earns it’s revenues from this industry as it should.
“What we are going to come out with will of course also support our business people, the oil companies that are investing and infact retain and encourage new ones to come to Nigeria to invest.
“Oil is like water now. Almost every country now has oil. So if you don’t provide a competitive environment in Nigeria, oil companies will have no difficulty relocating to other countries. So we will ensure that we have a competitive environment for business and for investment.
“Regarding the Electoral Act (Amendment Bill) and the constitutional amendment, it is my assurance that the National Assembly would have been done with the current process by 2021.
“The constitutional amendment at the moment, is not very warm because of the activities on the 2021 budget but the two committees in the Senate and the House are already working behind the scene to ensure that as soon as we pass the budget, the activities will start in earnest.
“We believe that we should pass our ammendments within 2021. Similarly the ammendment to the Electoral Act is going to be within that year 2021 to ensure that we don’t encounter unnecessary distractions,” Lawan said.