National Assembly to pass major oil reforms by July -Saraki

National Assembly has said it  aims to pass a long-delayed bill to overhaul the oil sector by the end of July.  Senate President Bukola Saraki told Reuters. that all the pending bill on oil will be passed in July. The Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which aims to improve transparency, attract investors and stimulate growth, has been debated for more than a decade and was broken into sections to help it pass into law. The PIB was discussed for some 17 years before the governance bill was passed by both houses of National Assembly in January.

That unprecedented move, following the decision to break up the unwieldy PIB into smaller bills, raised hopes that the other pieces of legislation could be passed soon after. Nigeria is an OPEC member and Africa’s largest oil producer. Crude sales make up two-thirds of government revenue but the sector’s development has been held back for decades by mismanagement. Saraki said in an interview the aim was to ensure all three remaining parts of the legislation were passed by the National Assembly before it went on holiday in July.

“We go on the summer break in July. If we don’t pass it by July, by the time we come back in September it is all going to be elections,” said Saraki, referring to presidential and legislative polls scheduled to take place early next year. He said the break would begin in the third week of July. Any bills passed by lawmakers would have to be signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The governance bill, passed in January, is awaiting Buhari’s approval. The other three parts — the fiscal, administrative and host community bills — are yet to be passed. Saraki said the bills would be discussed at a public hearing between the first and third weeks of May before being returned to lawmakers. “We are working on all three at the same time. The three should go at the same time,” said Saraki on Tuesday, when asked about the order in which the bills would be passed.