Again, rumpus in House over Petroleum Industry Bill

Reps bicker over alleged N200bn inserted into 2011 budget

There was rumpus in the House of Representatives yesterday as some members attempts to scuttle the consideration of the report of the controversial Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

The parliamentarians almost succeeded but for the intervention of Deputy Speaker Usman Nafada which saved the day.

Trouble started when Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business, Ita Enang, prayed the House to postpone consideration of the report because of "obvious inconsistencies."

Enang said the report did not conform to the standard, processes and procedures of a bill.

He noted that the report failed to indicate the objective principles of the PIB.

But Chairman, House Committee on Gas, Igo Aguma, saw Enang’s comments as a calculated attempt to abort the consideration of the report.

Aguma urged members to discountenance Enang’s argument since Section 60 of the 1999 Constitution empowers the House power to regulate itself.

Enang, he said, had the report long enough to raise any objection.

Nafada , who presided, ruled that considering the time left in the life of the House, consideration of the report should continue.

Members considered up to clause eight before reverting to plenary.

Also, lawmakers bickered over an alleged N200 billion illegally inserted into the 2011 budget.

A source said: "What we discovered was that the budget has been tampered with illegally. The President, we hear has returned the Bill but the leadership has not made it public.

"A member particularly asked Speaker Dimeji Bankole to respond to these issues but he was not forthcoming with categorical statement