How “Administrative Rascality” In National Assembly Is Costing Nigeria $15billion In New Investment!

No Nigerian has articulated more succinctly the colossal damage the failure to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill is doing to the economy than Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum.

For about two years now, Kachikwu, perhaps one of the most cerebral to head the nation’s petroleum sector, has been shouting to the point of losing his voice and possibly his shirt, that for every year Nigeria refuses to pass the PIB, the country is losing an astronomical $15 billion in new investment. Such funds would have more than palliated the troubled economy of Africa’s most populous nation.

It was thus a relief that, after 17 years of largely sectional politicking and sometimes relentless filibustering, all in a bid to scuttle the entire exercise, the National Assembly March 28 this year eventually passed a fraction of the PIB known as the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill.

Following a heated and emotive national debate, the 8th National Assembly in its wisdom had opted to split the PIB into four. These include the PIGB, the Petroleum Fiscal Bill, the Petroleum Administration Bill and the Petroleum Host Community Bill. Although incensed that the bill was split rather than passed as one holistic document, a lot of Nigerians took solace in the axiom that half (or quarter in this instance) a loaf is better than none.

Riled by the considerable havoc the delay in its passage had already wreaked on the nation, everyone expected the harmonised clean copy of the bill would be delivered to the President faster than the controversial Electoral Amendment Bill 2018 which was sent shortly after passage, or any other self-serving bill passed by the lawmakers.

But it is now 58 days, and still counting, since the National Assembly passed the PIGB without forwarding it to the President for assent. What is most disheartening is the ludicrous reason cited for the delay: By act of omission or commission, some administrative officers simply refused to do their job. What affront!

Whenever the United States Congress passes an important bill, it reaches the office of the President in an instant. One of the most recent examples is the $1.1 trillion 1,665-page 2017 spending bill passed on May 3, 2017. By May 5, 2017, it was already before President Donald Trump for assent. When it feels obligated, our National Assembly also knows how to move swiftly. Example, the recently passed 2018 Budget, which the federal legislators have assured the clean copy will be presented to President Buhari today.

As a nation, we can no longer afford to pay billions of Naira to massage ineptitude. The National Assembly’s budget in 2017 was N127 billion, almost at par with the capital provision of N140 billion for Defense in the same budget. The lawmakers could as well amend Chapter 2, Section 14 subsection 2b of the Nigerian Constitution to read that the security of the people and welfare of the National Assembly shall be the primary purpose of government.

On the PIGB, the legislators got the job done but their administrative staff dropped the ball!

This administrative rascality MUST not go unpunished.

Nigeria is fast becoming the nation of the most docile people on earth, where public officials heap misery on citizens without the fear of consequences. Until Nigerians begin to vociferously demand that infractions such as this attract severe sanction, the National Assembly and other public institutions will continue to ride roughshod on the people.

Just last month, the people of Armenia were completely fed up with their Prime Minister because of what they perceived as his unholy alliance with Russian strongman, President Vladimir Putin. The people rose in unison and demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister. What started like a jolt soon birthed a regime change.

When elected officials in Nigeria know the people will not tolerate their laxity, they will sit up and deliver. But as long as elected officials know that the people, including millions who go to bed starving, will just shrug aside the information and trudge on in their docility even if they heard a Senator picks up N13.5 million monthly as running cost, the people will continue to be at the mercy of those they elect to serve them.

https://www.makeitglobal.biz/editorial-pigb-administrative-rascality-national-assembly-2/