Nigeria Content Online

The Senate on
Tuesday called off passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill for the
second time in one week, but this time in counter protest to series of
protests calling on the lawmakers to pass the Bill.

It said it will not
be blackmailed into the passage of the Bill by protesters who claim
they are more patriotic than the senators.

A group of students
from three universities in the Niger Delta region had on Tuesday
morning barricaded the entrance to the National Assembly demanding the
passage of the Bill and subsequently, an apology from the deputy Senate
president who had last week dismissed them as “charlatans.”

The Senate
president, David Mark, said his colleagues had also received a minimum
of 20 disparaging text messages intended to stampede them into hastily
passing the bill.

“We are as
patriotic as those sending text messages. I do not think any Nigerian
can be more patriotic than the senators,” Teslim Folarin, the Senate
leader, said while requesting its withdrawal.

The Bill was
subsequently withdrawn, to be heard on “another legislative day” and
not even the next legislative day, indicating a major setback.

The Senate is
expected to proceed on a recess after today’s plenary to enable members
who are running for a rerun in the April 2 senatorial elections to
prepare for their elections.

“We will take it, but not as those who want to blackmail us want,” the Senate president told his colleagues.

Members of the
House of Representatives have, however, promised to begin third reading
of the Bill today if its committee on petroleum is able to distribute
it to all members by midday today.

Since the PIB was
introduced into the two chambers of the National Assembly in December
2008, it has suffered series of delays due to disagreements on the
provisions of the Bill by various relevant parties. The Bill has also
undergone series of amendments and its true provisions are still
unknown.

The Senate decision
on Tuesday to suspend legislation on a Bill based on protest calling
for its passage is the first in their ending four year term. Analysts
say the politics of the PIB is beyond the lawmakers and protesters, a
factor that could have motivated the action by the senators than the
stated reason. The protesters, however, said they will not be
discouraged.

“This development
will only strengthen our commitment to continue the struggle to ensure
that the PIB is passed into law,” David Ogbolor, leader of the group,
said.

Non charlatans

The students, who
had barricaded the main entrance of the National Assembly that morning
to press home their demands, said their protest was sparked by the
deputy Senate president’s “embarrassing” comments last week where he
waved them off as “charlatans”.

The Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is conceived to repeal the
Petroleum Act of 1969, and consolidate about 16 other petroleum
industry laws into one single, transparent, and coherent document. The
objective is to establish a comprehensive legal and regulatory
framework for good governance, transparency, and accountability, with
regard to operational and fiscal terms for revenues management, and
removal of confidentiality clauses in licences, leases, and contracts
in the nation’s petroleum industry.