By Onyedi Ojiabor, Sanni Onogu and Tony Akowe, Abuja
The National Assembly on Tuesday resumed work after the Yuletide break.
Both chambers in the bicameral legislature promised to give Nigerians effective legislation this year.
The Senate promised to spend the next six months to address the challenges facing the oil and gas sector as well as the nation’s electoral system.
It also pledged to ensure the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, electoral and power sector reforms.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan stated these in his welcome address to fellow senators who had been on Christmas and New Year recess.
He said: “The previous attempts in the sixth, seventh and eighth National Assembly sessions to pass the bills failed.
“This Senate should learn from the mistakes that militated against the successful passage of the bills. We need to break the jinx. We must avoid the pitfalls that worked against the passage of the previous bills.”
According to him, the PIB, when passed, will encourage investments in the oil and gas sector.
He said: “The International Oil Companies (IOCs) have deferred investments in the industry largely due to two decades of fiscal uncertainties occasioned by various failed attempts to deliver on the petroleum industry legislations that practically subsisted since 1967 and disputes associated with fiscal clarity of the 1993 Production Sharing Contracts.
“It is, therefore, imperative to speedily deliver on the reforms in the oil and gas sector to spur economic growth and prosperity for our people.
“It is my belief that when the petroleum industry governance and fiscal laws are delivered, economic uncertainties will be eliminated and conducive environment for exploration and production of oil and gas will be emplaced.”
The House of Representatives also promised to ensure prompt implementation of the 2020 budget.
But it adjourned plenary till today.
Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila announced that in accordance with the tradition of the House, plenary would be suspended in honour of a member who died during the break, Mohammed Adamu Fagen Gawo.
The lawmaker died in Dubai during the Christmas break and has since been buried according to Islamic rites.
About 300 of the 360 lawmakers were present yesterday and were seen discussing in groups.
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