As a valedictory gift, the 8th Senate of Nigeria’s Legislature has passed the redrafted version of the Petroleum Industry Governance (PIG) Bill 2019 which was earlier rejected by President Muhammadu Buhari.
In exercising his powers in accordance with provisions of 1999 Constitution, President Buhari had declined assent to the bill, raising some observations.
The passage followed the Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan’s reintroduction of the redrafted bill on Thursday at a plenary presided over by Senate President Bukola Saraki in Abuja.
Lawan noted that a technical committee of the Senate had worked on Buhari’s observations and redrafted the affected clauses.
Having rely or Order 88(b)(c), the redrafted clauses were committed to the Committee of Whole for legislative consideration and passage.
The committee, chaired by Saraki, therefore, approved the clause-by-clause consideration of the bill which has generated controversies among Nigerians. It has also been passed by the House of Representatives on Thursday.
The redrafted bill will, again, be transmitted by the National Assembly to President Buhari for his assent.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Red Chamber of Nigeria’s bicameral Legislature in March, adopted the report of Technical Committee on Declined Assent to Bills chaired by Senator David Umaru, which worked on President Buhari’s observations and redrafted the affected clauses in the bill.