A spokesman to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki (photo), has said that Nigeria will forward its oil governance bill to the Senate on the 25th of next month. This is in line with efforts to overhaul the energy sector.

“Barring any last minute changes, the Senate Joint Committee on Petroleum (Upstream, Downstream and Gas), will on 25th April lay the final report of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill before the Senate for consideration and approval,” he said in a statement.

Once approved, the bill will be sent to the House of Representatives which is the lower chamber of the parliament. With the approval of both, the final version will be sent to the president to be signed into law, he added.

The oil governance bill is part of planned reforms which fall under the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).The PIB is an Act to establish the legal and regulatory framework, institutions and regulatory authorities for the Nigerian petroleum industry. The bill which has been in legislative scrutiny for over a decade and redrafted many times is yet to be passed into law.

Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, who assumed office in May 2015, prioritized the passing of the legislation in a bid to curb the mismanagement and corruption in the country’s energy sector.

Anita Fatunji