World News

Governors meet on PIB, doctors’ strike, others Wednesday

No Comments

Governors from the 36 states in Nigeria will meet on Wednesday to deliberate on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and the ongoing strike by resident doctors, among others.

President Muhammadu Buhari signed the PIB on Monday.

However, several individuals and groups in the country including the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had criticized the President for signing the PIB despite outcry over the 3 percent allocation to oil-producing communities and other provisions of the document.

The resident doctors began an indefinite nationwide strike on August 2 over grievances that include the delayed payment of salaries and allowances.

The Head of Media and Media Publicity, Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, who disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said the governors would also discuss the planned commencement of the second phase of the COVID- 19 vaccination, and the Water Resources Bill pending before the National Assembly among others.

The statement read: “Three pro-poor issues will feature prominently on the Nigeria Governors’ Forum’s 33rd Teleconference meeting, the 10th in 2021 which takes place on Wednesday 18th August 2021.

The Director-General of the NGF, Mr. Asishana Bayo Okauru, in the invitation to the meeting itemised the National Poverty reduction and growth strategy, the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination and other health updates, as well as the ongoing strike by the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors, and the campaign for building a new mindset for a united Nigeria as some of the crucial issues to dominate the meeting.

The meeting which promises to be very heavy on solving critical national questions will also dwell on states’ participation in Nigeria Electrification Project and Solar Power Naija, in a presentation by the nation’s Rural Electrification Agency.

“The Nigerian Security Minting and Printing Company will also address the Forum on how to leverage Modern Security Document Solutions.

“The Campaign on Building a New Mindset for a United Nigeria will be anchored by Ambassadors of Voice for Change led by Bala Ahmed and Zack Orji.

“Other items on the agenda, according to Mr. Okauru, include an update on the refund of withholding taxes (WHT) and Stamp Duties, the Nigerian Postal Service Bill, 2021 & Collection of Stamp Duties, and the recently signed Petroleum Industry Bill where the governors are expected to identify next steps among other issues.

The health update by the NGF Health Advisor, Dr. Ahmad Abdulwahab, will be followed by another update on the 2nd Phase of COVID-19 vaccination by Dr. Faisal Shuaib, while the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa Committee of the NGF will brief governors on its appraisal of the PTF thus far.

“The NGF Chairman, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi’s keynote address to the Association for General & Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMN), where he enjoined doctors to honour their Hippocratic oaths by seeking other means of pushing their demands and avoid resorting to strikes, will round up the health section of the deliberations.’’

Politics

PDP accuses Buhari of disrespect for signing PIB

No Comments

In the wake of the approval of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the President of a lack of respect over the mandate.

The party stated this in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, on Tuesday in Abuja in reaction to the signing of the PIB into law by Buhari.

He expressed surprise that Buhari ignored the huge outcry by the majority of disenchanted Nigerians and signed the bill as passed by the National Assembly into law.

He noted that the signing of the law in spite of widespread public rejection amounted to “endorsement of imposition, lack of respect for the people and the tenets of democracy as a system of government’’.

Ologbondiyan added that signing the bill into law was not in the interest of oil-producing communities, particularly in the face of the challenges they faced as a result of oil exploration.

“Mr President could have returned the bill to the National Assembly with a request that it is made to address the demands of the oil producing communities.

“Our party fears that the new law cannot guarantee the desired stability and development in the oil and gas sector as well as respite in the Niger Delta region.

“The PDP calls on President Buhari to salvage the situation by immediately forwarding an amendment bill to the National Assembly to reflect the true wishes and aspirations of every segment of our nation,” he said.

World News

Nigerian govt to meet oil-producing communities on PIB

No Comments

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, said on Friday the Federal would continue discussions with oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta on the three percent operational costs allocated to them in the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

The minister stated this when a group of Ijaw elders, leaders, and other stakeholders visited him in Abuja.

Sylva, who tasked host communities on effective management of funds, decried the situation where communities in the Bonny Island could not access funds paid to them by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company (NLNG).

The minister said he had extracted the multinational oil firms’ commitment to relocate their headquarters to the Niger Delta.

He urged elders in the region to continue to sensitise communities on the protection of public assets in their areas.

Sylva said: “We are planning, alongside the Minister of Information and Culture, to hold town hall meetings in the host communities after the presidential assent to the PIB.

We need to have more stakeholders’ engagement on the three percent allocation to the communities. People need to know that it is from production costs, not from profit. The production cost is always higher than the profits.

“Today, I can tell you that we are on the last mile of the oil economy. Economies around the world are now discussing renewable fuel.

“We must understand that very soon, we may wake up and discover that oil is not as valuable a commodity as we thought.

“Coal did not finish before the world moved away from it. There is still a lot of coal deposits in Enugu, but if you give some of it to someone, he may not appreciate it because the world has moved away from coal.”

Politics

Reps promise passage of PIB before end of year

No Comments

The House of Representatives said on Thursday the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) would be passed into law before the end of the year.

The House Spokesman, Benjamin Kalu, disclosed this to journalists in Abuja.

He said the host communities remained an integral part of the bill, adding that the parliament would ensure that their interests and those of other stakeholders were protected.

Kalu said: “We have increased our speed. The first and second reading, committee level, and public hearing have all been done on the PIB. The next thing now is for us to go into a technical session to compile all the views of the people.

A lot of documents are being worked on, the consultants will sit with us to make sure we are able to bring out what people actually desire from this bill

“And so, we can package it for the third reading and then for concurrence. We are on the verge of the third reading.

“This will be sorted out in no distant time. Our target is that the bill will come out this year. It might even come out earlier than expected but we will finish it this year. We have gone so far and nothing is stopping us.”

The House spokesman stressed that the required concurrence from the Senate would not be hectic as both chambers are working simultaneously on the bill through various stages.

Politics

House of Reps to pass PIB in April —Gbajabiamila

No Comments

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Wednesday said the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) will be passed into law in April.

The Speaker gave Nigerians this assurance at the public hearing organized by the Ad-hoc Committee of the House on the bill.

“We intend to pass this bill by April. That is the commitment we have made. Some may consider it a tall order but we will do it without compromising the thoroughness,” Gbajabiamila said while making a remark at the hearing.

Also speaking at the public hearing, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Silva, expressed his 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 bill into law.

On his part, the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari, was optimistic that oil will still be relevant in the next 30 years.

Kyari said the passage of the bill into law will bring about the needed vigour and transparency that would, in turn, engender productivity in the petroleum industry.

The Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mohammed Nami who also spoke, said:

“The bill, when passed into law, will promote economic growth and make the petroleum sector competitive.

“FIRS is in total support to develop the oil and gas industry in line with international best practices.”

Close Menu

Privacy Policy