… it’s a grand plot to appease South South-Analysts
But while it is generally believed that the unholy relationship between President Muhammadu Buhari and the Leadership of the 8th Assembly was what led to the rejection of most bills including PIB, an investigation into why PIB was rejected shows that the real barriers
are the roles played by the real game changer major oil players in the country both in the present and previous governments which left the
country’s oil sector that urgently needs reform through the Bill stranded.
Even though there is a need for the Executive and the legislative arms of Government to collaborate and get experts to work out the best
draft for the bill, the real challenges that confront the bill by the beneficiary owners still stand in the way of the country’s oil reform.
It is right overdue for the government to identify the key players, real owners of the oil companies, benefiting owners of the oil industry who have been hidden under-covered names to destroy the oil and gas sector.
The PIB when fully passed and signed into law, seeks to establish a framework for the creation of commercially-oriented and profit-driven
petroleum entities, to ensure value addition and internationalization of the petroleum industry, through the creation of efficient and
effective governing institutions with clear and separate roles for the petroleum industry.
The governance part of the bill was passed by both Chambers of parliament in January 2018 leaving the onus on President Muhammadu Buhari, who is also the oil minister to assent the bill into law but declined his assent citing anomalies, especially on the reduction of the powers as petroleum minister.
The Bill establishes Policy and general strategy formulator. This bill will empower the minister for petroleum resources to setting overall policy and direction for the petroleum industry as a whole. The PIB also grants the minister preemptive rights to all petroleum products
in the country in the event of a national emergency, even as it strip the minister of the power to grant, renew, amend, extend or revoke any lease or license issued pursuant to the provisions of the Act.
It’s important to note that under the PIB, the petroleum minister cannot create any new entities. This institution, the National Petroleum Regulatory Commission, will be charged with regulating the entire industry.
The NPRC will replace the current Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the Petroleum Inspectorate and the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA). and upstream sectors, among others.
The Deputy Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Peter Akpatason ( Edo APC) and former NUPENG president,who couldn’t hide his anger over
the way the bill has suffered set back at one stage or the other recently told newsmen that the Petroleum Industry Bill,
(PIB) has been the most Politicized bill since the sixth National Assembly.
The Lawmaker, further told journalists in Abuja that the bill which dated back to the sixth Assembly has been hampered by vested interests among stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.
“PIB has been the most politicized bill in this Assembly, all the way from the sixth Assembly from the Executive and even right here in the National Assembly because of a lot of contending interests all over the place.
“The multinationals formed its block and interest. In politics we have
all our various interests all through. The refining block is another,
the marketers is another factor, transporters are another big factor.
“A lot of people are benefiting from a dysfunctional oil sector and
these people are very powerful and highly influenced people. People
that can manipulate anything possible in this country.
“That is why you see that even the draft that comes to the National
Assembly, you see elements of political twisting and if you try to
correct at the level of Committees these interests will come to play”
he revealed.
According to him, the only way PIB can scale through without much
delay is for the executive and the legislative arms of government to
come together and get some experts work out the best draft.
Just as a source in the industry who spoke under the condition of anonymity noted that, “I can boldly tell you that even the
Senate president Ahmad Lawan and the speaker, Femi Gbajaiamila can
not do much to get the President to sign PIB because those pressing
the wrong button against the bill will keep pressing it and until that
is resolved we are still where we are with PIB” .
She however advised that, the leadership of the 9th Assembly need to
negotiate with the President,” there is nothing wrong if they ask the
executive to reintroduce the bill as an executive bill. Let them
negotiate with those in the presidency, let them bring their own, at
least it will be their own bill and what they want but it is better
than where we are at this current state of our oil sector” she
stressed.
Also a top ranking lawmaker who pleaded anonymity in a
chat explained that the major problem with PIB bill started from interest deal
from the National Assembly to the Executive and among the major
stakeholders in the oil industry .
He said, “I can tell you that in factual sense that, some lawmakers
have made a shady deal on that bill and that led to the
stopping of the signing of that bill. The bill has always been tempered
with it right from the National Assembly to the Presidency and even
the management of the Assembly, the interest on the bill are high.
“The president did not reject the bill because he did not want Saraki to
take the glory as believed but they are many interest even among
the lawmakers and the Presidency that people did not know.
“We are all shouting oil reforms which wholly depends on the success
of PIB but no body looks at the points of the private sector in
the bill and if we think very well we can arrive at a conclusion that,
that is the major reasons why the bill was rejected because the so
called private sector are who? They are those who determine what
happens in the country, they are everywhere, in government at the top
of affairs and you think they will allow the bill to scale through?
” The problem however, is that the committee’s engagement efforts was limited to the draft of the bill already before them. Building
stakeholder consensus is key to passing the legislation, obtaining presidential assent and ensuring that subsequent implementation is
effective.
“The Environmentalists, who I agree with, are concerned that nothing in the bill provides for environmental regulation; therefore, they
want an additional regulator for environmental compliance” he added
It is on record that the President declined assent to the PIGB for prioritizing individual interest over public interest-because the proposed retention of 10% of petroleum revenue by NPRC (despite their budgetary allocation) would reduce the revenue
available for sharing among the three tiers of government, among other reasons.