47 Reps pass PIB bill, 20 others in final session

At the resumed consideration of the PIB yesterday, which stalled on clause 209 on Monday owing to disagreement on Frontier Exploration Agencies relating to petroleum mining lease, the House amended the clause and completed consideration of the 422-clause bill.
Since the start of the consideration about a month ago, disagreements and objections had characterised the report that forced the lawmakers to adjourn consideration on clauses 232, 247, 248, 249, 250, 251 and 252 further consultations on three instances.
After the bill’s passage, acting speaker, Emeka Ihedioha, urged the senate to also pass the all important PIB into law, since it took the House a “painful time” to pass it into law.
The lawmakers had also adopted and passed into law 14 bills that were passed by their senate counterpart for concurrence, which Ihedioha described as “legislative convention.”
Business and rules committee chairman, Rep Albert Sam Tsokwa, alongside 22 others moved for the adoption of the of the 14 bills out of the 15 transmitted from the senate to the House for their concurrence before the end of their tenure.
The bills include National Social Welfare Commission bill, Labor Safety and Health bill, Acts Authentication Act bill, Nigerian Football Association Act. (Repeal & Re-enactment) bill, Corporate Manslaughter bill, Animal Health and Husbandry Technologists bill and Criminal Justice “Release from Custody) bill.
Others are Sexual Offences bill, Border Communities Development Agency bill, Hydro-Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission bill, Nigerian Automotive Industry Development Plan bill, Engineers (Registration) bill as well as Proceeds of Crime bill.
However, the House refused to concur for passage the Oil and Gas Export Free Zone Act (Amendment) bill, which Rep Leo Ogor said was critical enough to be looked into by the incoming 8th Assembly.
Consequently, the lawmakers suspended Order XII, Rules 80, 81, 82 and 88 to pave way for the passage of the bills at once.