President Muhammadu Buhari has signed into law, the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) recently passed by the National Assembly.
This was confirmed in a statement on Monday by his spokesperson, Femi Adesina.
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After the commencement of the Fourth Republic in 1999, there have been many amendments to the Electoral Act, meant to enhance and improve the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The latest amendment, Electoral Act 2021, has, however, generated a lot of controversies.
The goals of the amendments have always been not only to have an electoral system in place but to improve the quality of life of Nigerians by improving the quality of the electoral process. Efforts to get the Electoral Act amendment bill signed into law by the 8th National Assembly were futile, with President Muhammadu Buhari rejecting to assent to it three times.
The legislation was, however, reintroduced in the 9th National Assembly. The legislation passed through all the legislative procedures and the report was submitted to both chambers of the national assembly.
Chairperson, House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, Aishatu Dukku, during series of activities to repeal the Electoral Act No. 6, 2010 and enact the INEC Act 2021, said the amendment sought to regulate the conduct of federal, state and area council elections.
The leadership of the 9th National Assembly having promised passage of the bill several times, passed it on July 15(Senate) while the House of Representatives passed theirs on July 16.
The passage of the bill which had over 300 clauses was sequel to lengthy consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on INEC, presented by the Chairman, Sen. Kabiru Gaya (APC-Kano State). Nigerians thought that the passage of the piece of legislation would bring respite to the electoral process, but it turned out the other way round, with the amendment to Clause 52(3) of the bill, generating public outcry.
The Senate during the clause-by-clause consideration of the bill approved electronic transmission of results during elections, provided that such areas are adjudged by the National Communications Commission (NCC) to be adequately covered under its national coverage and approved by the National Assembly.
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The approval came following an amendment to Clause 52(3) by Sen. Sabi Abdullahi (APC-Niger). The amendment was seconded by Sen. Ali Ndume (APC-Borno).
The committee in its recommendation initially prescribed that “The Commission (INEC) may transmit results of elections by electronic means where and when practicable.”
This, however, was amended by the Senate Deputy Whip, Abdullahi to read, “The Commission may consider the electronic transmission of results, provided the national coverage is adjudged to be adequate and secure by the National Communications Commission (NCC) and approved by the National Assembly.”
On his part, Sen. Ali Ndume (APC-Borno) said “I support the futuristic idea of electronic voting which is not realistic in my area that I represent. “And therefore, for it to be approved, hoping that there will be light or network in my local government or my state if NCC says so, then I support that.”
Sen. Akpan Bassey (PDP-Akwa-Ibom) called for an amendment to retain the initial recommendation of clause 52(3) on the bill that was amended. Bassey’s call, however, resulted in a round of heated verbal arguments among the senators. The approval of Sen. Sabi’s amendment proposal, however, did not go down well with some senators, who were against the amendment to the clause. This, resulted in a rowdy session, as senators engaged in a heated exchange of words.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan, then called for a close session, which lasted for almost 10 minutes, given the reverberating exchange of words amongst senators. However, Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe supported Bassey’s amendment that the initial clause is retained. He cited Order 73 of the Senate Rule which called for a division.
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Out of a total of 80 senators present, 52 voted for the retention of the ‘Sabi Abdullahi amendment,’ while 28 who belonged to the opposition PDP voted for the ‘Bassey’s amendment.’
Sen.Kabiru Gaya had said the legislation would provide for use of card readers and other technological devices in elections, political party primaries as it relates to a timeline for the submission of the list of candidates.
“It will also provide for criteria for substitution of the candidate, the limit of campaign expenses among others.”
He also said that the legislation would address the omission of names of candidates or logos of political parties in an election and its resultant consequences. The chairman further said the limit of election spending was increased.
“The spending limit in Section 91 of the bill now allows presidential candidates to increase their cash haul from the current N1 billion to N5 billion, while governorship candidates can rake in N1 billion from the hitherto N2 million. For senatorial candidates, they can now legally raise N100 million from the previous N40 million, while candidates to the House of Representative can now accept N70 million from the current N30 million.
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For state assemblies, candidates can now spend up to N30 million, from the previous N10 million. President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, assured Nigerians that what the Senate did was to show serious concern and care about the divergent views of Nigerians on the election process.
“All of us want to see an election process that is all-inclusive, that is fair, that is equitable and just to everyone, whether someone is in the city or in the village. We pray that this bill will guide the 2023 general elections so well. And we hope to have a better and more improved election process in 2023.”
Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, said that the decision of the Senate to subject INEC’s constitutional power to conduct elections to the NCC and National Assembly is patently unconstitutional. Tambuwal, former Speaker, House of Representatives, said INEC’s constitutional power could not be shared with any institution.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Section 78 of the Constitution provides that “The registration of voters and the conduct of elections shall be subject to the direction and supervision of Independent National Electoral Commission. In the Third Schedule, Part 1, F, S.15: INEC has the power to organize, undertake and supervise all elections.”
“The Constitution further provides that INEC operations shall not be subject to the direction of anybody or authority.”
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Tambuwal said that unquestionably, the mode of election and transmission of results were critical parts of the conduct, supervision, undertaking, and organization of elections in Nigeria.
“Of course, the National Assembly has the power to flesh out the legal framework, but that has to be consistent with the Constitution.
“These constitutional powers have been solely and exclusively prescribed by the Constitution to INEC, and cannot be shared with the NCC, or any other authority, and certainly not a body unknown to the Constitution.”
Tambuwal said that the Senate decision to subject INEC’s constitutional power to conduct elections to NCC was “consequently patently void, unconstitutional and unlawful.’’
Executive Commissioner, Technical Services of NCC, Mr. Ubale Maska, had told the House that only about 50 percent of polling units in the country have a 3G network that can transmit election results electronically. Maska said that in 2018, the Commission conducted an analysis of the 119, 000 polling units in the country.
According to him, about 50.3 percent of the polling units have 3G and 2G network coverage, while parts of the remaining 46.7 have only 2G and the rest do not have coverage at all. He explained that only polling units with 3G network coverage could transmit election results electronically.
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He, however, explained that results could be uploaded in areas covered by 2G and later be moved to an area with 3G for the transmission to be completed. On the possibility of hacking the process, Maska said that no system could be 100 percent free from the activities of hackers.
Whatever happens at the end of the day, the desire of Nigerians is free, fair, and credible elections in 2023.
Credits: Naomi Sharang(News agency of Nigeria)
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The Niger Delta Revolutionary Crusaders (NDRC) have threatened to resume attacks on oil facilities in the Southsouth over the recent passed Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).
Anaedoonline.ng reports that the National Assembly had recently allocated 3% to the Niger Delta region in the PIB as against the 5% the region had advocated for.
Reacting in a statement, the spokesperson of the militant group, WO 1 Izon-Ebi, slammed lawmakers for passing the unfavorable allocation.
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According to him, NDRC commanders have returned to the creeks of the Niger Delta, in preparation to strike.
The statement titled, ‘We Will Defend Our God Given Resources’, said: “We will fight until obnoxious sections in the PIB are reviewed by the National Assembly, commanders have returned to the creeks of the Niger Delta region waiting to strike.
“For 56 years, the region has suffered desecration of its sacred places like worship centres, lands, streams, lakes and severe environmental degradation without remediation.
“While the government and people of Zamfara State are allowed to control 100 percent of their gold resource (fiscal federalism applying in Zamfara State), what the people of the Niger Delta region could get from their own natural resource is a paltry three percent for host communities and in contrast, a whopping 30 percent for exploration of frontier basins.
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“We will defend our resources and protect our region from further mindless pillage of our God given resources.”
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Seriake Dickson, Former Bayelsa State Governor, has warned President Muhammadu Buhari against signing the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) into law.
Dickson said the PIB as passed by the National Assembly is capable of causing fresh uprisings in the Niger-Delta region and therefore urged the President to withhold his assent.
He said before the President should assent the bill, it is necessary to adjust some of the amendments made by the lawmakers to accommodate the five percent allocation to the host communities so as not to disturb the relative peace in place in the region at the moment.
Dickson, who is the current lawmaker representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, stated this while addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday.
According to him, “We believe that there should be a review of the legislation. There shouldn’t be a signature yet. President Buhari shouldn’t assent to it yet.
“It should be delayed for a more consultative and inclusive work so that while trying to solve problems, you don’t create more problems.
“If the President has not guaranteed security in the North-East, South-East, South-West and North-West, it will be against the national interest to open another frontier of conflicts perhaps in the only region that is enjoying relative stability because of the policies that the late President Umaru Yar’Adua initiated.”
Dickson further accused the leadership of the Senate, under the guidance of Ahmad Lawan of frustrating efforts by the South-South senators to get the support of their colleagues from other regions to approve the five percent host communities equity share.
He said, “Senator Thompson Sekibo and I were mandated to reach out to other senators who are not in our region and we did. We spoke to most of them and they all supported us for the 5 percent.
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“Before we took that deliberation and the vote, the Minister of petroleum and the GMD of NNPC were invited to give us the executive perspective.
“They told us that it is either we agree to 2.5 percent or no investment.
“So, I can feel how most members who had earlier given us their commitment felt when they heard the tough position by the executive.
“The minister said there won’t be investment inflow if we approve anything higher than the 2.5 percent. There was no room for any interrogation, so they left and we started the consideration.”
The Senator stated that he and many other lawmakers from the region were not happy with the bill as passed by the 9th assembly, explaining that what was proposed initially by the administration of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua which introduced the bill was 10 percent for the host communities and another 10 percent for frontier development.
He said, “Unfortunately, the bill could not be passed then. The 9th Assembly has been able to pass it but we have to get it right.
“I am not happy with the three percent that was eventually passed. Most of us disagree completely and that was why I led my other colleagues from the South-South to stage a walkout.
“The argument was that the investors would not come if more than three percent was approved.
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“However I want to state that if the host communities are not happy, the investors will not come.
“Let us be very careful, and that is why I am of the view that the three percent is not helpful to the host communities, not helpful to the oil companies, and also, not helpful to the country.”
The senator added that there is nothing wrong in allocating funds for oil exploration for national interest but the 30% was too much while the host communities get a meager 3%.
“There are several frontier basins in the country. I know it serves the national interest in exploring more basins but why allocating 30 percent of NNPC profit to oil exploration when the desire of the host communities was not met.
“They were denied the 5 percent and this will raise security concerns because the Nigerian security operatives will be overwhelmed and they will need money to work.
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“Meanwhile if we said five percent and the producing communities are on the same page with the government, there will be a secured and safe environment,” he declared.
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Abdullahi Sule, Nasarawa State Governor, has faulted the debate over the Petroleum Industry Bill allocation for oil-producing states.
Governor Sule stated this when he appeared as a guest on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics.
He stated that beyond figures or percentages, what matters more is the wellbeing of the states involved.
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“You have to look at the totality of what goes to the communities,” he said.
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“Is it just the three percent that is going to them? People have forgotten about the 13% derivation that goes to the states. So even if you give the three percent or five percent is it changing the communities or is it going to some private pockets,” he asked.
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The House of Representatives has adjourned the plenary and other parliamentary activities till September 14, 2021.
This follows the adoption of a motion for adjournment moved by the Deputy House Leader, Peter Akpatason (APC, Edo).
Despite the close of plenary, Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila announced that the committees on Finance, Appropriations, Agriculture will continue with their works during recess.
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Before the close of the plenary on Friday, the lawmakers passed the Electoral Amendment Bill and Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) amid controversy that saw the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus stage a walkout.
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The House of Representatives has stepped down the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) after an hour-long closed-door session.
According to reports, further deliberation is expected to hold over the decision while the House is on recess.
Earlier in the day, lawmakers from the South-South had opposed the harmonized PIB allocation to host communities which were pegged at three percent.
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The lawmakers were heard chanting “five percent” against the three percent at the floor of the House.
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This controversy resulted in the house going into a closed-door session.
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A major player in sugar and cement production, Dangote has dominated with a lot of policies and waivers in his favor over the years. He is set to enjoy some in the oil industry if the Senate version of the Petroleum Industry Bill is passed.
Anaedoonline.ng gathered The legislation, will only permit active refining licenses and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited. As it stands, only Dangote’s 650,000-barrel per day capacity refinery is eligible for an active refining license.
This implies that by the time the bill becomes law, the Dangote refinery, which is expected to be completed by 2022, would be in operation, making him the only license holder that would be able to import any substantial amount of petrol.
The law also provides for the continuation of the NNPC’s Direct Sale Direct Purchase contract, which experts have questioned for being fraught with inconsistencies.
However, there are concerns that the modular refinery license holders are exempted from importing like the rest of the country with this clause. Anaedoonline.ng recalls that when the Olusegun Obasanjo-led government introduced the same system in the cement industry, it did not yield results.
“It will bring an end to importation billionaires using our hard-earned fx to import cement”, “it will crash the price of cement”, the government posited.
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Meanwhile, cement supply is still relatively low when compared to the rest of Africa while demand increases by about 3 million tonnes a year with prices at a record time high. Dangote Cement quickly acquired government-owned cement companies and embarked upon an ambitious project building a gigantic plant in Kogi state. Some others followed suit.
Imports were restricted to only those who had operational cement plants or those in development similar to what is being proposed by Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Bill. Also, nearly two decades after the policy was introduced, more than 4 cement companies have been pushed out.
Those forced out of the market as a result of the monopoly include the infamous Ibeto Cement saga which President Yar Adua tried to fix. Hardly has any company being able to enter and sustain itself in this liberalized market.
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One pertinent question remains, won’t the oil industry suffer the same fate as the cement industry?
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On the recently passed Petroleum Industry Bill, 2021, the legislative and judicial autonomy as well as Executive Order 10, The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) to meet on Wednesday meet for deliberation
In a statement on Tuesday issued by the NGF Director-General, Asishana Bayo Okauru, the teleconference meeting will be chaired by the NGF Chairman, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State.
Okauru noted that the governors will review the Memorandum of Action, which was signed, months ago, in a series of meetings between the governors, members of JUSUN, PASAN, and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige.
He added that the governors are also expected to discuss the maiden meeting of the National Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy where committees will be considered and requests for nominees into the Technical Working Group will also feature.
“This is in line with the new thinking among Governors that pro-poor policies deserve prominence in the current governance structure.
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“Other issues of national importance to feature in the meeting include the contentious Petroleum Industry Bill where Governors will seek solutions to the next steps on the unresolved issues.”
“The NGF Chairman is also expected to brief the meeting on the activities of the weeks after the last meeting which includes the shuttle diplomacy he embarked upon to the ambassadors of Canada, China, and South Africa; as well as the meetings with the Transportation Commissioners of Nigeria and officials from the Nigeria Printing and Minting Company.
“The Governor Ifeanyi Okowa Committee on Covid 19, a regular feature of the meeting, just like the SFTAS update will be presented to the Governors, just as the NEC agenda for the following day will be discussed.
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“There will be three presentations before the Governors, among which are the Advocacy on Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Act: Sensitization, Domestication, and Financing by the Chairman, House Committee on Disability, the Diversification and Non-oil Export Opportunities for States Post-Covid-19 – Policy Development Facility (PDF) Bridge Programme and the Deployment of Digital Infrastructure for Human Capital Development by the CEO, Suburban Fibre Company, among others,” the statement read.
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Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, has revealed that the assent of the Petroleum Industry Bill by President Muhammadu Buhari will put an end to petrol subsidy in Nigeria.
Sylva announced this while speaking at the Nigeria/Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries: 50 Years of the Partnership press conference in Abuja on Monday.
He insisted that it was best for Nigeria that the Federal Government discontinued subsidy on petrol, stressing that the recently passed PIB had no provision for subsidy.
The minister said, “This (subsidy removal) is desirable for the interest and growth of Nigeria. Of course, everybody will have their perspectives, but from where I sit, I believe that subsidy removal is the best thing for Nigeria, not just the industry.
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“So far, the discussions with stakeholders are still ongoing. But I will also bring it to your attention that today when the President assents to the PIB, the subsidy will become a matter of law because it is already in the PIB that petroleum products will be sold at market-determined prices.
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Sylva added, “The removal of subsidy has the potential of unlocking a lot more funds for deployment to development. Unfortunately, what we are doing by way of subsidy is like cutting our nose to spite our face.”
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