Petroleum Industry Bill not with Buhari – Presidency

President Muhammadu Buhari has not received a copy of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill recently passed into law by the National Assembly, the presidency said on Wednesday.

The harmonised version of the bill was passed by the National Assembly on March 28.

Media reports earlier in the week suggests that the clean copy has been sent to the president for assent.

But the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang, in a statement on Wednesday said Buhari has yet to receive the bill.

According to Enang, investigation revealed that the bill was still “undergoing standard legislative processes of the National Assembly,” preparatory to transmission.

Enang’s statement read, “Further to several enquiries by the media, interest groups, and the public in respect of within named bill, may I please state that the said bill has not yet been transmitted by the National Assembly to the President.

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“From my enquiries, the bill is still undergoing standard operating legislative processes of the National Assembly preparatory to transmission, please.”

Omotayo Alasoadura, chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), had earlier been quoted as saying that the harmonised bill would be presented to Buhari on March 30.