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We’re ready to pass PIB, say Lawan, Gbajabiamila
The leadership of the National Assembly said on Monday, 28 September, 2020 that the ninth Assembly would break the jinx of not being able to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill after several attempts.
The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila assured Nigerians that the time had come for the passage of the bill.
They spoke at a meeting of the leadership of the National Assembly with the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Silva, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari and some other top officials in the Petroleum sector.
The meeting was to brief the National Assembly leaders on the focus of the PIB which the Senate President confirmed was forwarded to the Assembly about two weeks ago.
The bill has not been read at the floor of either of the two chambers of the National Assembly because the federal lawmakers are currently on recess but will resume session on Tuesday.
“The PIB is said to be jinx actually for a long time. Probably from 2007 to 2019,” Lawan said in his opening remarks.
“It’s either the bill or bills were sponsored by the executive and not passed by the legislature as was the case in 2007, 2011 in the 6th and 7th Assembly.
“In the 8th Assembly, the legislature sponsored the bill, breaking it down to about three; it passed but there was no assent.
“Now the bill is an executive bill coming to the National Assembly. The two chambers promise that we will break that jinx.
“We want to see an oil industry in Nigeria that is properly regulated, an oil industry that not only sustains the investment that we have but attract even more investment, an oil industry that is very competitive.
“So the Ninth Assembly wants to work with you, have a very clear understanding of every provision so that, at the end of the day, we will break that jinx together with you and provide the oil industry a legislation that will make more effective and efficient at the end of the day,” Lawan said.
The Senate President said it was the first meeting between the Petroleum Ministry and other agencies with the leadership of the National Assembly to discuss the essence and focus of the bill.
“We are glad that the bill is now in the National Assembly even though not before the National Assembly.
“I imagine that by tomorrow(Tuesday) when the communication to the House, communication to the Senate will be read, then it will be before the two chambers of the National Assembly,” Lawan said. Gbajabiamila was also confident that the ninth National Assembly would break the jinx and pass the bill speedily.
“The bill has been long in the making for several years but I believe this is the session in which it will pass.
“We will pass this Bill speedily, however its passage will not sacrifice thoroughness. We will not sacrifice thoroughness on the alter of speed. Speed because it will be in the nation’s best interest.
“In the House of Representatives, we have assembled a crack team of legislators who are versed in the workings of the industry. It is an ad-hoc committee drawn from the House Commitees on Oil, Upstream, Downstream, Local Content and Gas.
“So there is a crack team that will be working with you as we are all trying to go to the same destination.
“Talking about passing it speedily, unfortunately it is coming at the time when it will be competing with the passage of the budget,” Gbajabiamila said.
The Speaker described the bill as “perhaps the most important piece of legislation that will come out from National Assembly in the lifetime of this government.
“It is a most important piece of legislation because we all know what oil represents in terms of our economy. Everyone has been waiting for the arrival of the PIB.
“That is the legislations that is on the lips of every Nigerian whether he knows anything about petroleum or not. It is the most popular and most common Bill. Everybody talks about PIB because oil represents the life wire of our state. That underscores the importance of this bill,” Gbajabiamila said.
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JAMB to security agents: Arrest any parent who comes near CBT centres
JAMB to security agents: Arrest any parent who comes near CBT centres
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, (JAMB), has ordered all Computer-Based Test, CBT, centre owners to ensure the arrest of any parent found close to any of their facilities during the 2024 UTME exercise.
The Board’s spokesman, Fabian Benjamin, gave the directive at the final briefing of CBT centre owners, on Wednesday, saying that the directive became necessary following the intrusive disposition of some parents during the Board’s previous exercises.
Benjamin quoted JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, as saying that any parent who disobeys the order would not only be arrested but his ward would be disqualified from sitting for the examination.
“This measure is necessary as it has been discovered over time that many of these intruding parents are facilitators of examination infractions while others have, by their actions, disrupted the Board’s examinations in the past.
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“Some miscreants also disguise themselves as parents to infiltrate the centres to perpetrate all forms of infractions,” he said.
Oloyede disclosed that the Board has directed security operatives to work with the centres to arrest any meddlesome parent, who comes near the centres, noting that going by the extant national policy on education, a candidate for the examination must have attained the age of 17 years.
“It is evident that these parents had not allowed their wards to pass through the classes as defined in the document, hence, the determination to follow their wards to the examination venue with the aim of compromising examination officials.
“At any rate, it is clear to any discerning observer that these parents deserve to be sanctioned as they had obviously ‘smuggled’ underage children into the ranks of those scheduled to sit the examination,” he added.
He, therefore, appealed to centre owners to consider the assignment as a national engagement and not as a purely profit venture, urging them to expose the bad eggs among them.
JAMB to security agents: Arrest any parent who comes near CBT centres
News
Kaduna assembly speaker warns el-Rufai’s son over threats of lawmakers
Kaduna assembly speaker warns el-Rufai’s son over threats of lawmakers
Kaduna State House of Assembly Speaker, Hon Yusuf Liman, has warned Bello El-Rufai, the son of the immediate past governor of the state, Nasir El-rufai, against threatening and intimidating the House over the probe panel set up to investigate his father’s eight-year tenure in office.
Hon Liman expressed worry that Bello sent insulting and subtle threat messages to him as the Rt. Hon Speaker of Kaduna State House of Assembly via WhatsApp message over the probe of his father.
This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday by the Media Aide to the Speaker, Malam Suraj Bamalli.
The State House of Assembly had on Tuesday raised a panel to investigate financial dealings, loans, grants, and project implementation from 2015-2023 in Kaduna State during the administration of ex-governor el-Rufai.
The Speaker also noted that el-Rufai’s son allegedly took to social media with two tweets, insinuating a call to “fight” and disrespecting the entire members of the Kaduna State House of Assembly.
Bello el-Rufai is a member of the House of Representatives representing the Kaduna North federal constituency.
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According to the statement, “Threats and intimidation from anyone, including federal lawmakers, will not deter the Kaduna State House of Assembly from its pursuit of justice and accountability. The Assembly remains resolute in its mandate to provide checks and balances and uphold the rule of law in Kaduna State.
“We urge the good people of Kaduna State to remain vigilant and steadfast in their support for transparency, accountability and the rule of law. The Kaduna State House of Assembly will continue to serve the best interests of the state and its citizens.
“In light of recent events, the Kaduna State House of Assembly wishes to address the erratic and unruly actions of Hon. Bello el-Rufai, the member representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency.
“Shortly after the establishment of a committee to investigate financial dealings, loans, grants, and projects implementation from 2015-2023 in Kaduna State, Hon. Bello Elrufai took to social media with two tweets, now deleted, insinuating a call to “fight” and disrespecting the entire Legislative Arm of Government.
“Additionally, he sent insulting and subtle threat messages to the Rt. Hon Speaker of Kaduna State House of Assembly, Hon Yusuf Liman via WhatsApp.
“The screenshots of these tweets and messages have been widely circulated, causing concern among the citizens of Kaduna State. It is disheartening that a Federal Lawmaker, entrusted with representing the people, would resort to such behaviour, attempting to obstruct the lawful functions of the State Assembly.
“The Kaduna State House of Assembly wants to reassure the good people of Kaduna State that it remains steadfast in its commitment to serving without fear or favour. The members of the Assembly took an oath to uphold the integrity of their office and ensure due diligence in their duties, regardless of any attempts at intimidation or threats”.
Kaduna assembly speaker warns el-Rufai’s son over threats of lawmakers
News
We’ve stopped paying fuel subsidy, FG replies el-Rufai
We’ve stopped paying fuel subsidy, FG replies el-Rufai
The Federal Government has said that assertions in some quarters that it’s still spending trillions in naira to subsidise Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, are untrue.
The government debunked the payment of subsidy on petrol claim through its Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
This is even as it challenged those who are alleging the return of subsidy payment to provide evidence to substantiate their claims.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, stressed that since President Bola Tinubu had declared the end of subsidy on petrol, nothing can change.
He noted that fuel subsidy was a sensitive issue, but noted that the government had made its position known on the matter.
Lokpobiri, in a recent video, insisted that petrol subsidy had ceased to exist, and implored those who alleged that the government was still subsidising the commodity to provide evidence and facts.
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The minister said, “I don’t want to delve into that issue. It is a very sensitive issue. It is better we get all the facts. As far as I’m concerned, the President removed the subsidy and it remains removed till today. Anybody who is saying that subsidy is being paid, it is left for the person to bring the facts and then we will talk about them.”
Asked whether the price being paid for petrol currently is determined by market forces, the minister replied, “It may not be determined by market forces but let us deal with the price as it is today.
“Every government has a duty to do certain things, not only in the petroleum sector but in several other sectors, to be able to cushion the effect and burden on Nigerians.”
El-Rufai had told journalists in Maiduguri on Monday that many citizens were not aware that the government had reintroduced the PMS subsidy.
“The Federal Government is now subsidising fuel; many people don’t know this. It is the right policy. I have always supported the withdrawal of oil subsidies; but in the course of implementing the policy, the government realised that subsidy has to be back; right now, the government is paying a lot of money for subsidy, even more than before.
“You start implementing a policy because you are sure it is the right policy, but in the course of implementation, you come across bottlenecks, and you modify.
“The keyword in leadership, in my view, is pragmatism. You should be pragmatic. So when you make a policy, you start implementing it, and it doesn’t seem to work well. You should have the humility to stand back and say this is not working, and you modify it,” the former governor stated.
We’ve stopped paying fuel subsidy, FG replies el-Rufai
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JAMB to security agents: Arrest any parent who comes near CBT centres
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