NASS Conference committee may correct PIB percentage variance ― lawmakers

People of the oil-producing communities, of the Niger Delta, have been enjoined to remain calm, as the conference committee of the national assembly, would still review the decision of the Senate on the PIB.

Senator, Thompson Sekibo said, so far, interaction by stakeholders with members of the House of Representatives showed that there was the hope of reviewing the figure of 3per cent by the Senate to 5 per cent, when the lawmakers go to a conference comprising both chambers.

The call from Sen. Thompson Sekibo was a response from the host of Channels TV when he appeared with Hon. Sada Soli to talk about the opportunity inherent in the bill.

Both lawmakers are members of the joint NASS Ad-hoc committee on the PIB.

He said the disposition of the members of the House of Representatives should inspire the people of the region to hope for a better deal.

Senator Sekibo said some Senators of the South-South region were not particularly interested in pushing for 5 per cent on the floor, this, he not made him withdraw his call for headcount.

He continued that “We all agreed including the Senate President and the leader of the Senate that it was 5 per cent for the Host Communities. I am not quite sure the reason they brought in the Minister of Petroleum, Timipreye Silva and the GMD of NNPC, Mele Kyari.

“After addressing the Senate, I am sure that they agreed that 5 per cent will be too much from the operating companies and advised that, it be 3per cent the bill originally came with 2.5 per cent and while we pushed it to 5 per cent

“The joint committee of the national assembly agreed on 5 per cent in the morning of the consideration what was in the bill was 5 per cent, not 3 per cent.

“Somebody got up and made an amendment because it was an agreement, I believed they had that morning.

“You know the national assembly when he put the question the ‘yeah’ had it. Another proposal came as adjustment, the President of the Senate could not take it.

“So I got up to ask for a division of the house, if the house was divided we will be able to know who exactly agreed for 5 per cent and 3 per cent but I was prevailed upon, it is the chamber, and the Chamber has its own politics.

“Even some of the southern colleagues did not show as much interest.

“I know that it is not yet a law, we have only passed two versions of the bill, the people of the South-South and the region should relax, I know that our colleagues in the House of Representatives are not happy that the Senate took the decision it did. We have interacted with many of them.

“I believe that during the conference committee we will be able to harmonise and get a figure, maybe 3per cent maybe 5 per cent.

“Of course, the hope of every southern person is that these things should go up to five per cent, whatever reason the operators and the NNPC have if they take it to 5 per cent it may pose some difficulties for the operators.

“They came and gave some figures that 3per cent of the operating cost that will be taken was actually about $502m which is about N506bn and of course you know when your counterpart hear this figure, they claim that you have 13 per cent derivation, NDDC where you have many companies pay 3 per cent, they mention Niger Delta Ministry, Amnesty and all that.

“They feel that so much is going to the host communities, that is their feelings, they fail to realize that this is the first time an intervention is going to the host communities.

We may have some further negotiations when the conference Committee will meet, I believe that we will get the per cent and many of the members of the Reps believe that we should get 5 per cent.

“I do not know why we are much more concerned siding with the operators than identifying with the suffering of the people.”

Hon. Soli said the national assembly will look at it even as the exposure of the committee members noted that the people of the area deserve a direct resource for remediation of the environment.

He maintained that a conference committee has a lot of opportunities for the people of the region, to address the matter, they noted that further work on the bill will be revealed in its implementation.

The lawmakers are convinced that the bill will be signed into law because the executive was carried along while the bill was being worked upon.

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NASS Conference committee may correct PIB percentage variance

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