Senate Rejects Petroleum Resources Ministry’s Request For N200m To Pass PIB, Says Bill Already With NASS

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The Senate Committee on Gas Resources has rejected the N200 million allocation demanded by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources in the budget for the treatment of Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, and another N200 million for a review of Nigeria Gas Master Plan.

The ministry, while defending its 2016 Budget before the committee, said it needed N200 million for the passage of the PIB in the National Assembly.

Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Dr. Jamila Shuaru, while making presentation at the committee’s sitting, insisted that the amount was needed for the treatment of the petroleum bill. But Senator Bassey Albert Akpan, chairman of the committee, backed by other members, said the allocation was not necessary because, according to him, the bill is already with the National Assembly.

“This bill is already with the National Assembly. So what do we need the money for? I don’t think you need the money. This could be one of the reasons we have so much deficit in this year’s budget. Unless you can justify this expenditure, we need to do away with this,” Senator Albert said.

The committee also disagreed with the ministry over the N200 million proposed in the 2016 budget for a review of Nigerian Gas Master Plan. The committee said it discovered that funding request for the plan had been a recurring figure in previous budgets.

“You cannot be asking for funds to review what you have not even implemented,” Senator Albert said, adding that the only problem with the PIB was that there was no law backing it up.