21 January 2012, Sweetcrude, ABUJA – The Nigerian governmnet says it is to produce a new draft of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) planned to overhaul its oil and gas industry’
This move is a result of the controversy that dogged an earlier bill which has been with the Nigerian National Assembly since 2008.
Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke said, while inaugurating an eight-member task force set up to fast track the passage of the controversial oilreform bill, that the committee would review the various versions of the bill submitted to the parliament and produce a new one within the next 30 days, according to a statement from her office.
She said: “As a matter of fact, you are all also aware that at the end of the 6th Assembly, there was more than one version going around. So, government expects that the committee will put up all the indices in place to redefine the bill, look at certain sections and include strategic aspects so that we can get it right.”