Hopes that the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) may be passed into law before the expiration of the sixth session of the National Assembly were finally dashed Tuesday as the House of Representatives stepped down further debate on the Bill.
This came as a Bill designed to amend the Pension Reform Act No. 2 of 2004 to exclude members of the Nigeria Police and six paramilitary agencies of the Federal Government from the application of the scheme was Tuesday roundly defeated on the floor of the House of Representatives.
The House had last week adjourned consideration of the PIB after it had appeared the Bill had scaled a major hurdle mounted by some lawmakers from the North.
However, at Tuesday’s plenary when the Bill was expected to be recommitted to the Committee of the Whole, Chairman, House Committee on Air Force, Hon. Halims Agoda (PDP/Delta) raised an objection and urged the House to suspend action on it.
Agoda said the Senate had been running at a snail speed on the Bill and was unlikely to concur with the House even if the lower chamber concluded its own part of the job.
According to him, there was need for the House to liaise with the Senate to find out their true position on the Bill before any further action could be taken. He said the efforts of the House will be futile if the current trend continued as the legislation will not become law unless both chambers worked in harmony. The motion was adopted and the Bill was stepped down.
