From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives has restated its commitment to the early passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill(PIB).
Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, who gave the assurance while declaring open a two-day public hearing organised by the House Ad-hoc Committee on the PIB, said the proposed legislation would be passed in April.
Gbajabiamila said though there were lots of vested interest in the petroleum bill, the parliament was committed to its expeditious passage in the interest of the country.
“We intend to pass this bill by April; that is a commitment we have made. Some may call it a tall order, but we will do it, and we will do it with every sense of responsibility without compromising the thoroughness of the work that will be done. We are not oblivious to the fact of many contending interests in this sector. These contentions do not need to result in conflicts, especially when we know the objective of national prosperity benefits us all. This bill has been long coming as the chairman said. It has been upcoming in the last 20 years. Because of contending and vested interests, we have not been able to reach the desired outcome over the years.” He explained that the outcome of the bill would determine a lot of things, such as the diversification of the economy.
Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Silva, in his presentation, expressed joy that after 20 years of its introduction to the National Assembly, both the Senate and the House have shown sustained determination to pass the PIB into law.